Tactical Fantasy Action: Metal Gear Spira
by Otasnake
Summary: Immediately after the events of MGS2; Snake, Raiden, and Otacon are called to the Final Fantasy world of Spira to help a band of heroes destroy the unstoppable monster Sin and unravel the start of a greater conspiracy. CH 1 - 20 revised.
1. Forward

**Tactical Fantasy Action: Metal Gear Spira.**

**Version 2.0.**

**Originally conceived and written by Otasnake.**

**Reworked and revisited by Some1Else.**

**A Brief Forward From The Author's.**

**Disclaimer: **Neither of us own Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy. We also do not own any of the other copyrighted characters, brands, groups or organisations that appear in this story.

**From Some1Else:** When I found this story, I noticed that the humor in it was somewhat similar to my own. I felt that with a little more work the story could be a lot better. Not perfect, but more readable and with a wider appeal. Of course, this story wasn't officially mine. After establishing a partnership with the original author, I worked through what he had done much in the same way I remixed my own fan fiction. I consider the results very significant. What you will find here is a nice blend between the talent and style of two authors'.

**From Otasnake:**

My previous work, MGSpira 1.0 ,was a bit of a mess, the dialogue was simplistic, too many plot holes that needed filling, and the bit with Optimus Prime, Darth Vader and Gollum made no sense at all. This hopefully will be easier to read and cause less hedaches for those who read it. This work is designed to be epic, engaging, tragic, funny and entertaining all at once and I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to rape or praise the story as you see fit via reviews, comments, PM's, etc.


	2. Chapter 1 : Every Story Has a Beginning

**Tactical Fantasy Action: Metal Gear Spira.**

**Chapter 1: Every Story Has a Beginning.**

Snake sat in a rotting chair with his back up against the wall and a generic twelve gauge pump action shotgun in his lap. It was a quiet afternoon and he was enjoying it with a victory smoke now that he finally had a chance to sit back and relax. An hour earlier he had been packing up and salvaging what he and Otacon had brought to their little hideout. Their mission in New York was done and with the situation as it was they would need to switch locations for a while. Solidus was dead, the Patriots plans had been momentarily stalled, the Kamov was discarded in an abandoned parking lot, and Snake had finally gotten away from Raiden. He had indeed earned this cigarette. Bags of multiple guns weighed down the bed Otacon begged him to buy so he wouldn't have to sleep on the floor like Snake did. Chests full of PC equipment and pirated anime DVD's were all stacked neatly beside it. They always made sure to bring more supplies than they needed and if their van hadn't been stolen sometime during their outing at the Big Shell both of them would have already escaped from New York.

Thankfully nothing personally indemnifying was in it, but the thief did hinder what could have easily been a quick departure. Otacon was out getting them a new one with better security features since fewer people had seen his face. Snake wouldn't miss the old clunker. It wasn't even his and if not for Snake's sizable income garnered from a countless amount of suicide missions and smart investments they'd just be two men who sat in an unlit room and schemed all day long. The telephone rang in the awful studio apartment they managed to coexist in, but Snake didn't bother answering it as Otacon knew better than to contact him by that number. It couldn't have been any of the few people they trusted because they were no longer returning any of their calls. Something wasn't right. Someone had to have dropped the ball somewhere. It might have been them.

That disc they got from the President hadn't been very helpful so far, but it could potentially be used to prove their innocence if presented to the right people. Technically they were both considered dead, but that would change now. The Tanker Incident was a warning from the Patriots to stop messing with them. They hadn't. Snake wasn't sure how thirteen dead people could make his life miserable, but he had other theories that contradicted the data they had obtained from the disc. Otacon needed a lot more time to analyze the data to verify it and he'd have to do it later because Snake insisted that they relocate first. Snake didn't want to break the news to Otacon, but it looked as though they were on their own for now and without a recognized government agency backing them no matter how shady it was, they were in possession of items that made them nice targets for the FBI, CIA, and ATF.

Otacon begged Snake to not move again, but he wasn't interested in Otacon's preference for this neighborhood because all Hal wanted was to get in good with that Asian girl at the Starbucks five blocks to the north. Snake trusted the insight he felt at times that manifested itself in the form of a faint feeling of dread. It was his sixth sense and he had never ignored it before. There was a place up in Maine that they could stay at or an older hideout on the other side of the city if Hal absolutely had to stay in New York. Snake hadn't quite made up his mind about which one they should retreat to. Either way, Snake wanted to move. After parting as gracefully as he could with Raiden, which was more than he ever could have asked for, Snake rendezvoused with Otacon in a nearby alley where he quickly dropped all his gear and changed into some civilian clothing. They then hailed a taxi, stopped by that damnable coffee shop for some overpriced cappuccino's Snake paid for, and headed to a bogus location three blocks from home.

If Snake hadn't felt that they had been followed he wouldn't be making such a fuss about their predicament. After all, he and Raiden were clearly out in the open for more than five minutes as a crowd of people gathered around the wreckage of Arsenal Gear. Otacon had worn a mask while rescuing the hostages and in hindsight Snake wished he would have kept the Navy SEALS uniform he'd confiscated so he could have done the same thing. If he was lucky, nobody had gotten a good look at him. They were all pretty distracted by the giant monstrosity wedged inside Federal Hall. He was sure Raiden ducked out of sight before the authorities arrived, but he didn't know how good the kid was at covering his tracks. Snake had been trained to shake whoever was trailing him. It had been a long time since he had to do something like this and even though he'd been recognized as an expert at it he still felt that the Patriots would be on their way in through his front door before Otacon got back.

He really should have worn a mask. A distinct beeping noise filled his ears and caused him to jump in surprise. Snake pulled out his CODEC device and saw Raiden's number gleaming up at him. His nanomachines must have still been running. An older strain of them would have run out by now. He stuffed the device back into his pocket after ignoring the call and blocking the frequency. Raiden had a kid on the way and needed to find himself. It'd be best if they never saw each other again. He lit up another cigarette. Things could go from bad to worse so ridiculously fast. There was a knock at the door. Snake aimed his shotgun at the splintered barrier. Five seconds ticked by and someone began tapping a message across to him in Morse code. The word the quick knocks spelled out was rat.

"It's open." Snake called.

The lock released. Snake nodded to himself. If whoever was on the other end of the door had tried to open it without unlocking it just then they would have been splattered. Otacon stepped in, looking quite haggard.

"How much of my money did you spend?" Snake asked.

"Thirty five thousand. I went for the more secure model." Otacon replied.

"Not too bad. You're finally learning how to shop."

Otacon nodded nervously.

"What's wrong? You really look like hell."

"You're freaking me out, Snake." Otacon said as he took a sip from an extra latte he had taken the time to acquire. "You've got me feeling like we're being watched, too."

"Then I guess we'd better get going. Is the vehicle around back?"

"Yes. There's really not anyone around right now and before I forget, I have a favor to ask."

"What's that?"

"The next hideout we rent needs to have a running shower and a better toilet. It would be in both of our interests to have at least those two things."

"I guess you're right." Snake said with an indifferent shrug. "Let's get moving."

Snake grabbed more bags than Otacon could have possibly carried and headed for the back of the rundown complex they were forced to live in. Their room was way in the back next to the generator and all of the other noisy maintenance rooms. Otacon had some trouble sleeping at first due to the noise, but he had eventually gotten used to it. They didn't have to walk far to reach the exit and get outside into the parking lot. Even before Otacon began heading for it Snake knew which vehicle was theirs. A new black Honda Odyssey running on a fuel cell was parked perfectly in the spot available for it. If that wasn't suspicious in a lot full of trucks and less fuel efficient vehicles parked across two spots, Snake wasn't sure what was. Otacon put down the one bag he had managed to carry and got out his keys. While he fiddled with the back, Snake looked at the bag and identified what was in it by the sticker he had placed on it. The sticker was orange. Otacon had carried the M-16, M4, and P-90 he felt like bringing along because Snake couldn't be happy if he wasn't violating gun control laws on at least three counts.

Otacon forced down all the seats that he could for maximum storage capacity. They then tossed in their first haul. The next trip saw them carrying the last of Snake's stuff to the vehicle. Otacon's supplies came next. Fortunately the windows were tinted so it would be hard for anyone to see how much stuff they had packed into the back of the van. On the final return to their awful apartment Snake placed the keys on the kitchen counter and left the landlord a colorful message on his answering machine with a voice masker. It was only then that he realized they would be leaving Otacon's bed behind. Hopefully the next tenant would make good use of it.

They held no feelings of discontent as they separated themselves from the apartment complex. Perhaps it was indeed time to invest in a better hideout after all the problems they'd experienced with their former one. Even so, they needed a place where nobody asked any questions and if they had to sacrifice comfort for that luxury than they would have to do so.

"You're driving. For now." Snake said. "No J-Pop. If we're listening to music it's either heavy metal or classical."

Just before Otacon could hop into the drivers seat and open up the passenger's door the start of a sequence of highly unfortunate events began.

"Hey! Guys, over here!" a voice urged.

Snake had a hand on his concealed M-9 in an instant as he exchanged a confused look with Otacon.

"It's me! Raiden! I'm coming out now so don't shoot."

Snake searched the area and determined that the sound of his voice was coming from one of the dumpsters. It was open just enough to allow for Raiden to tentatively peek out from it. Upon realizing he had their attention he threw open the lid, which crashed noisily against the brick wall behind it. Snake lowered his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed heavily. Both Raiden and Rose came crawling out of the metal container. Otacon gritted his teeth in anticipation of Snake's unpredictable reaction. He remained silent and indifferent as the young couple approached him. Raiden had put on some civilian clothing, but his skull suit was still visible underneath it.

There was probably a great story behind how he got his clothes that must have involved him hiding in an alley somewhere while Rose charged the new outfit to her credit card. At least he wasn't too careless. Rose was still in her fancy white suit complete with matching heels and a tacky ankle bracelet.

"I see you've upgraded from the box." Snake said simply, referencing Raiden's dumpster stunt.

"Yeah, I figured you would be happy. They must have cleaned that thing out just today." Raiden said. "Listen, I have something very important to tell you. It's why I went through the arduous task of following you this far."

"I told you before; you're not coming with me." Snake said. "I can find Olga's child myself."

"I think Solidus is still alive." Raiden said.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Snake demanded.

"The press is at Federal Hall right now." Rose said. "They haven't mentioned recovering any bodies from the scene."

"That's probably something they would cover up."

"But weren't there already witnesses on the scene?" Otacon offered helpfully. "There were people around long enough to see his body if it was there."

"Raiden, did you not kill Solidus?"

He sighed doubtfully.

"I don't know. I mean, I can't be sure."

"Why, because it all happened too fast?" Snake asked sarcastically.

He turned his back on Raiden and almost started pacing back and forth as he thought about how to handle Raiden's anxiety. They were obviously scared and Raiden probably didn't know the first rule of making himself disappear. Snake would have to help him with that. His own escape would definitely be hindered by taking Raiden along for the ride. If Solidus was indeed still alive, he would have to be taken out. The Patriots would probably get to him first since they no longer needed him. Snake figured he might be able to use such a predicament to his own advantage by keeping an eye on Solidus. Then again, the Patriots might be more inclined to let Solidus kill both of them before they went after him.

Snake smirked. That was a good plan. Raiden's worries were now Snake's concerns.

"I saw you cut his spine in half." Snake said. "How does that make him not dead?"

"There's no telling how deep I got and to answer your next question his suit could have cushioned his fall."

"Precisely!" a familiar voice shouted.

They all looked up just in time to see Solidus leaping from the roof in what was sure to be a grand entrance. He screamed gutturally as he descended upon the brand new car Otacon had bought not two hours earlier. Snake vainly hoped he would miss, but Solidus hit his mark and destroyed the front of their getaway vehicle. Theatrics were so nauseating. Luckily, Solidus hadn't landed on any of their equipment. Not so luckily, his scream was bound to attract attention and the blaring car alarm certainly didn't help keep their confrontation private. Otacon switched the alarm off with his electronic keychain. Solidus was armed with his ever present P-90 submachine gun and looked incredibly agitated in addition to being in immense pain. He had also somehow managed to procure a black cape similar to the one he had worn earlier that concealed the wacky suit he wore for protection.

"Nice try, Jacky boy!" Solidus said venomously. "But it's going to take more than a pathetic jab with a sword and a fall from a few stories to kill me!"

"How the hell did you avoid getting caught?" Snake demanded.

"Easy. I said I was on my way to a cosplay convention. No problem!" Solidus said. "So long as you keep to yourself, nobody asks any questions. Indifference and independence are the mantra's of the American society."

"Have you come here for revenge?" Raiden demanded.

"Well, I'm not here for dinner!" Solidus assured him.

"Leave them alone! Rose is currently carrying your step-grandchild." Otacon said.

"Well then, congratulations!" Solidus said heartily. "Let me offer Rose a token of my appreciation by turning her into a single mother!"

Solidus was wounded and tired, which allowed Snake a better chance at getting the first shot. Or so he thought. When he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. It was then that he noticed that something was wrong. Solidus hadn't moved an inch after making his threat. In fact, he seemed to be frozen in time. Snake turned around and discovered that everyone else was as still as statues. It was quite eerie and highly disconcerting. Before he could think too much of it he heard the sound of someone approaching him. A child with a poor taste in clothing approached him.

"Solid Snake, I presume?" the boy asked.

"Are you the little bastard that just stopped my chance at killing him?" Snake asked, pointing at Solidus.

The child nodded.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted you at such a pivotal moment."

"You stupid brat!" Snake bellowed.

Snake finally realized the absurdity of the situation he was in and was fairly disturbed by it.

"Wait a second. How can I be sure any of this is real? Did I just die?" Snake thought aloud.

"No. As you suspected, all of this is my doing."

"Then what do you want, kid?"

"To begin with, I am over a thousand years old, but I suppose that is an irrelevant detail that will be lost to your arrogance. Secondly, it is not I who wants something in particular, but we. We the Fayth."

"The who?" Snake asked, squinting in scrutiny. "Are you part of a cult? Is that how you managed to stop time? If you are, then this conversation is over and you had better stop your voodoo now before I make you stop it!"

"Actually we're a group of semi-divine beings from another planet and we want you to do something very important for us." the Fayth explained. "What I'm about to say may be too much for you to handle at first, so allow me to barter your complete attention and trust with an item that you will find most useful."

The Fayth reached into one of its pockets and pulled out a fresh carton of Lucky Strike's. Seeing as how those particular cigarettes were becoming increasingly harder to get and all Snake had left of his original supply was a box of fifty that he never touched out of fear of losing them, his attention was instantaneously acquired by the Fayth.

"I'm listening." Snake said.

Snake pulled a lighter out of his inventory, lit a cigarette, and began smoking. This would be his fourth cigarette for the day. The Fayth rolled its eyes at how Snake's mood had been completely leveled out by the tobacco.

"As I said before, I represent a group of semi-divine beings known as the Fayth. We are spirits of immense power that reside on the distant planet of Spira whose souls are trapped in stone statues. Our powers are manipulated by an all-powerful sorcerer who has created a living weapon of mass destruction known as Sin. For a thousand years, Sin has brought death and destruction to the planet of Spira and by now we are frankly fed up with it. We have assigned the destiny of destroying this creature to an individual that we want you to protect and assist. Her name is Yuna. You will be transported there by us and you will be given all of the weapons and equipment that you desire from your own arsenal. You may bring your friends with you as well. Do you have any questions?"

Snake carefully thought over all of what he had been told.

"Haven't I met you before?"

"No, but you do know of someone that is attuned to such occurrences." the Fayth replied, hinting at the fact that it had frozen time. "You yourself are not familiar with phenomenon that is out of your world as everything to come will be."

"Geez. Magic. Giant living weapons. Quests. My friend here would be overjoyed to meet you." Snake said, pointing at Otacon. "What the hell did you put in these smokes?"

"Nothing." the Fayth said. "I have another present for you."

It held out its hand and a small bag materialized in its palm.

"This is what has been traditionally known as a bag of holding, under your terms. It is a magnificent container that will allow you to carry more items than you normally would be able to."

Snake raised an eyebrow at him.

"It will carry even more than that current sack you cram everything in."

"Impressive. Set me up with three of those and put all of my equipment into mine. Do the same to whatever inventory Raiden has. You know who that is, right?"

"Jacky boy?" the Fayth asked.

Snake nodded.

"Give one to my friend Otacon just in case he needs it."

"Certainly."

"How do you expect me to find Yuna?" Snake asked.

"A man named Tidus will lead you to her."

The two stared at each other for a moment. New York had never been so quiet.

"Could you maybe show me what he looks like?"

"Oh! Yes, that would be a good idea, wouldn't it?" the Fayth replied, somewhat embarrassed.

The Fayth snapped its fingers together. Without a seconds delay, Snake suddenly found himself floating in the sky above a sprawling metropolis. As he began feeling sick a giant creature emerged from the ocean surrounding the city. It fired huge balls of energy at random that leveled every building they hit. Weird little creatures flew from its tail and began attacking the citizens on the streets. He saw this assault persist and watched as it assimilated the debris as it centered on a platform where two figures stood. One was that of a blonde man who looked like a tanned Raiden in a yellow hoodie and black shorts. The other was another man who was dressed in a long red trench coat with greased black hair and a pair of sunglasses. He saw him grab the Raiden look-alike by the scruff of his neck as the thing that was attacking the city absorbed them.

"The gruff looking fellow is Tidus." Snake declared.

"You wish." the Fayth replied.

"I figured. And that beast is Sin?"

"Correct. Now you know why it's imperative that Yuna destroys this creature once and for all. The means to do so will become apparent on your journey."

With another snap of its fingers the two of them were returned to the exact spot they had been before.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Not really." Snake said.

The Fayth was able to see through his ambivalence. Since it was a thorough being, it took the liberty of reading Snake's mind to clear up everything the man could have thought to ask.

"The tail is quite exceptional, or so I hear. Yuna is a woman worth your time and effort, but you might find it hard to deal with Tidus when you first meet him. Sin will serve as a vehicle between this world and Spira for the time being. Twenty three, seventy two, eighty five, nineteen, four, ninety six."

"Wait, what about. . ." Snake tried to ask before he was cut off by the Fayth.

"Yes, I did die before puberty." the Fayth said with a remorseful sigh.

"No, I was going to ask how I'm going to get home when I'm done."

"I'm afraid you'll have to find that out for yourself, but don't worry. There is a way, if you can find it." The Fayth answered cryptically.

"Could you be more specific?" he asked as he stripped Solidus of his P-90.

"Brace yourself." the Fayth said.

It vanished so quickly that it was there one second and then gone the next, which messed up Snake's eyes.

"What the? Where did my gun go?" Solidus demanded.

Snake spun around and saw that time had returned to normal. A giant shadow suddenly enveloped the scene. They all looked up to see what was above them. Snake's mouth dropped as he recognized Sin from earlier. Apparently the Fayth had been quite literal when it said Sin would be their method of transportation to Spira. It positioned itself so that its chest was directly above them. Once it situated itself a hole in its body opened up and a blinding white light came bursting forth from the orifice.

"What the hell is that?" Otacon shouted as he pointed up at the sky in terror.

They were abruptly encased in a yellow circle made up of tiny particles that rose into the hole in Sin's body.

"Rose, get out of here!" Raiden shouted as he pulled out his blade and shoved her out of the field.

The second she exited the field she froze, which lead Snake to correctly assume that the rest of New York was still frozen in time.

"What the hell is that thing?" Solidus demanded nobody in particular. "Is it an emissary of the Patriots?"

"Calm down and prepare for. . .something!" Snake told everyone.

For whatever reason, it appeared that Sin was also going to beam Solidus up with it. Snake found this to be highly inexcusable and would have pushed him out of the field if he could move his limbs. All four of them slowly lifted off of the ground before they suddenly picked up speed and shot headfirst into the white light.

"This is kind of disgusting!" Otacon screamed.

"Yeah? I figured with as much time as you spend on 4Chan you'd be used to this type of thing!" Snake shouted.

The second they hit the white light they were all assaulted with a numbing sensation that was so intense that none of them couldn't help but black out.


	3. Chapter 2 : Welcome To Spira

**Chapter 2 : Welcome to Spira.**

Snake had little time to reflect on how a child who dressed funny could freeze time and why a giant whale was able to use its body as a means of teleportation when he woke up because within a minute he determined that someone or something had tied him up.

"Mmmph!" was all Snake could say about it due to the gag obstructing his mouth.

Snake tried to remove the gag only to discover that his hands were tied together behind his back. His feet were also tightly bound together by a rope. While he was at it, Snake also found that he had been blindfolded. Whoever had done this to him really wanted him to be helpless. He'd also been put back into his sneaking suit. That must have been the work of the Fayth. Snake began struggling to loosen his bonds. As he did so the door to whatever room he was in opened while he was in the middle of bringing his hands over his head so he could work with the rope better. A group of men pinned him to the ground and once they determined they couldn't put Snake's hands behind his back without breaking his arms or momentarily untying him they decided on a different idea. He counted four men by the sound of their voices as they conversed with one another in a strange language Snake had never heard before.

A woman said something in reply and the men got off of him. After a slightly heated discussion the men left in a huff. The woman did not leave. Snake heard her sigh when the men had left. He huddled into what he thought was a corner and let his arms rest on his lap since he assumed he was now being watched by a guard. He couldn't help but submit to his captors for the time being. They would probably tie him down more extensively a little later for trying to escape. It was clear that he had been taken prisoner, but by whom he had no idea. He calmed himself and tried to guess where he was by using his remaining senses.

It was warm and breezy. He felt a subtle rocking motion beneath his feet. The woman in the room with him opened a window and he could hear the ocean, but he did not smell salt. He must have been on a ship. Snake exercised his mouth in such a way as to remove the gag so at least he could try to talk to his captor.

"Hey! Where the hell am I? Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Snake couldn't make out what exactly the response was since she was still speaking in some strange language that he couldn't comprehend. The fact that he was completely at a loss when it came to understanding his captors worried him slightly. He replayed the words in his head so he could try to guess what language she was speaking, but it didn't seem to fit into any language group he knew of and he had even taken the time to study Latin. It was nothing more than trivial gibberish to Snake. The only thing he could be sure of was that he was obviously in a foreign country that had issues with outsiders. Since Snake was clearly an American that didn't help his chances of calming their xenophobic disposition.

This was a troubling beginning to the quest the Fayth had entrusted him with. In order to carry out his mission he'd have to escape from the ship and find someone who spoke anything except the weird language his captors spoke. Snake tentatively raised his bound hands to his blindfold and took it off. The cabin he had been forced into was brighter than he wanted it to be. When his eyes cleared up he spotted a woman sitting across from him in a chair. She was in her mid to late teens and had a petite frame with blonde hair done up in a rather unique way. Her outfit appeared to coincide with her work and was made entirely of leather. Snake assumed that she would be a pushover if he had to fight her. She smiled and waved at him. At least she was friendly, which Snake could and probably would take advantage of.

From the looks of his surroundings he had been ushered into a storage room. Unopened wooden crates were everywhere as was rope, spears, fishing rods, and other spare utilities that would keep the ship they were on afloat. There were two exits to the room, the closest one being the door the girl had taken her post beside. It suddenly opened and two men hauled in a familiar figure. Raiden struggled with the tenacity of a hornet caught up in an orb weavers web. Someone not in the room called the woman's name and she got up from her seat and left.

"Hey, you're getting a bit friendly with those hands of yours, you awful, awful man!" Raiden shouted at one of the men holding him.

They threw him to the ground alongside Snake and shouted at him in their odd language yet again. Raiden was soaking wet with water and when he tried to rush them they quickly put him back on his ass. He calmed down enough to notice that Snake was trying not to acknowledge him. Snake had vainly hoped that Raiden wouldn't have made it through. He had also been stripped of civilian clothes and forced into his skull suit.

"It's good to see that you're up, but I'd go back to sleep if I were you." Raiden said. "They're probably going to put you in the water now, but the joke's going to be on them when they do."

"What are you babbling about? You mean to tell me that you didn't fall overboard?"

"No. They put me in the water without so much as a rebreather. I almost drowned. When they finally figured out that I couldn't breathe underwater like they seem to be able to do they got pissed and hauled me back in here."

Snake looked at Raiden as if he were completely mad.

"I'm serious! Ask Otacon when they finish performing CPR on him."

Immediately after Raiden finished speaking Otacon came stumbling in freely without having to be pushed around. He was also drenched in water. A different woman appeared and handed him his glasses back. Otacon muttered his thanks and put them back on. Since Otacon did not own any kind of sneaking suit his normal clothes had been left on, which consisted of a pair of regular jeans and a grey T-Shirt.

"Morning, Snake." Otacon said.

"Why aren't you two tied up?"

"We were a few hours ago before we woke up. Some girl came in and told us we were going to be put to work." Raiden said.

"We stood around for about thirty minutes until they tried putting us in the water."

"Any idea where we are?"

"It's not the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, I'll tell you that right now. The water is really funny. I don't think we're on Earth anymore."

"What was your first clue?" Raiden asked sarcastically.

"That despite the fact that we're in the middle of an ocean the water is freshwater."

"Great." Snake muttered.

Snake brooded as unthinkably bothersome thoughts plagued him with the possibilities and connotations of the situation. Before he began to worry too much he recalled that Raiden had stated that he was able to comprehend what one of the ship's crew had said to him.

"Wait a second. You said a girl spoke to you? In English?"

"Is that what you guys call it?" the young woman who had been in the room with him earlier asked as she came walking in again.

She held two oddly shaped translucent bottles containing an unidentifiable sky blue liquid. The girl gave one to Otacon and Raiden.

"Drink this. It'll make you feel better. I guess you guys can't hold your breath for that long, can you?"

The two men shook their heads as they did what they were told.

"That's really strange." the girl said to herself.

Her tone clearly indicated how uncommon she felt their flaw was.

"What is this?" Raiden asked. "I no longer feel like I almost died ten minutes ago."

She chuckled.

"Geez." she said while shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh, I'm sorry. This is our chance for a formal introduction. My name is Rikku."

"I'm Hal, but most people call me Otacon. He's Jack, but most people call him Raiden. That there is. . ."

"Not one more word, Otacon." Snake said sharply. "Call me Snake."

"Your name is Raiden?" Rikku asked, looking at Jack.

Jack perked his head up attentively and nodded.

"That's an odd name." she said.

Jack's head sunk in aggravation.

"It makes up for the boring one my parents gave me." Raiden muttered.

"Rikku, do you speak English fluently?" Snake asked.

"As far as I know."

"Good. What's that other language you were speaking in a moment ago?"

Rikku gave him quite a perplexed look.

"It's Al-Bhed. I'm an Al-Bhed. You couldn't tell? Where exactly are you guys from?"

"Earth." Snake said. "More specifically New York. Have you ever heard of it?"

"No. . .I haven't heard of the old one either." Rikku said as she thought it over. "You guys do know you're in Spira, right?"

"Allow me to explain." Snake said patiently.

He gave Rikku a selective sample of their plight. Snake left out many key details for the safety of himself and his comrades, but properly described how they had arrived on Spira. Raiden and Otacon would have to wait for a full debriefing.

"I see." Rikku said. "You guys fell out of the sky last night and landed on the deck of our ship. It gave us quite a scare. You were all unconscious when we recovered you. Too bad you weren't here a few days ago."

"Why is that?" Snake asked.

"We found some guy at an abandoned temple. He had a funny story somewhat like yours. He said he's from a city in Spira that was destroyed a thousand years ago. You wouldn't happen to know a guy by the name of Tidus, would you?"

"Looks like our resident gimp, but tanned?" Snake said with a gesture towards Raiden.

"Yeah. He fell overboard when an abomination we call Sin attacked our ship the night you guys arrived. I hope he's okay. I kind of liked him."

Snake smirked. He knew all too well how teen-age girls thought. That's why he made a promise to himself to avoid them after the last one he'd been with. There were few things as annoying as buying young women alcohol before they turned twenty one.

"Liked him?" Snake asked.

"Not like that!" she said hastily. "He was just a nice guy."

"Oh, you're not the type who likes nice guys?" Snake teased. "Do you like dating assholes because their stronger personalities are better suited to having children?"

"I didn't get to know him!" Rikku shouted in protest. "Anyway, I hope he made it to the island that's supposed to be around here."

Snake made a note of that. The island she mentioned couldn't be that far off judging by how she had referred to it. They could still catch up with Tidus in a day or two.

"Is it alright if I untie myself?" Snake asked.

Rikku nodded and within a minute he had shed the ropes. Hasty escapes had been a part of his training. This was nothing new to him. Besides, whoever had tied him up hadn't done a good job of it.

"Listen, Rikku. We can't stay here. Will you let us go now?" Snake asked.

"Hold on a second, I can't do that just yet." Rikku said. "We're close to uncovering an airship and we need all the extra help we can get."

Snake stood up and began moving towards her.

"Rikku, you don't understand. We have to go find Tidus now."

Rikku reached for a weapon behind her back and held up her hand to halt Snake, which got him to stop. Obviously she wouldn't be overtaken so easily.

"Hey, calm down." Rikku said, slightly nervous. "Trust me, I want to help you, but right now we can't afford to dock anywhere. If anyone finds out what we're doing out here, we'll all be in big trouble. You'll all be out of here in a week, I promise. By then I should be able to convince everyone that you're not spies."

"What's that you got there?" Snake said as he gestured to the weapon she was holding behind her back.

As she revealed it Snake made his move and quickly got her into a choke hold. Snake pressed his arm into her throat to prevent her from screaming as the weapon she was holding fell to the floor. Raiden and Otacon gasped in surprise. Both of them looked offended that he was handling a woman so roughly. They obviously were not taking the current situation very seriously. The only lead they had on the mission was Tidus and the quicker they found him the better. There was no telling how far he'd get in a week's time.

"Let me go you big bully!" she croaked. "Take it easy!"

"You take it easy." Snake said, clearly disgusted at himself for doing this. "Rikku, you're a good kid, but you've got to be more careful around strangers. I'm not going to hurt you if you do exactly what I say. I just want off of this boat, okay?"

Rikku gave him what sounded like a yes and tried nodding her head.

"What's this about us being spies?" Snake asked.

"I don't know. Everyone's just paranoid! I know you can't possibly be spies because you're not able to hold your breath underwater for as long as everyone else can."

"I see. Raiden, get that handgun." Snake said.

He hesitated for a moment, not really set on Snake's plan.

"I said pick up that gun now!" Snake ordered.

Raiden grabbed it and could clearly determine the model of the weapon. It was an M-9, the questionable sidearm of the United States military and Snake's favorite alternative to real bullets as it carried tranquilizer rounds. Snake brought Rikku around in such a way that allowed him to get a look at the gun Raiden confiscated.

"Is this mine or yours?" Raiden asked.

"Read me the serial number."

He did as he was asked.

"That one's mine. Rikku, what were you doing with my gun?" Snake asked, tightening his grip around her.

She cried out in surprise and swatted vainly at his arms to get him to stop.

"You don't have to ask me twice! I was only looking at it! It's unlike any gun I've seen before so I wanted to examine it."

"You've used guns?"

"Of course. We regularly use .22 caliber rifles to protect ourselves. We've recently been unearthing stronger weapons in the desert, but we haven't put them into service yet. If you're going on land, you might want to keep your equipment hidden. People around here generally frown upon guns. Except for us Al-Bhed, that is, but we're a minority. That's another reason why you guys can't possibly be from the clergy."

"Noted. Now where's the rest of my stuff?"

"In my cabin down the hallway."

"Raiden, give me my gun."

He handed Snake what was rightfully his. Now Snake had a hostage and a weapon, which made his words carry twice their normal weight.

"I really hope you know what you're doing, Snake." Otacon said.

"Just trust me. I've done this a hundred times." Snake asserted confidently.

"You're not very good at what you do then, seeing as how in order to have done this a hundred times you had to have been captured a hundred times." Rikku retaliated.

"That's quite a smart mouth you've got." Snake said.

"Does it make you feel like more of a man to handle a defenseless woman like myself so roughly?"

"You had a gun." Snake pointed out.

"What if that gun isn't actually loaded?" Rikku asked, hoping to catch him off guard so she could escape his grip.

"Smart girl." Snake said while patting her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Too bad I know you're bluffing. I know my guns very well. It's definitely loaded because it's heavier than it would be if it were empty. Nice try. You could have fooled Raiden with that."

Raiden guffawed in adamant disapproval and Rikku decided to quit arguing with Snake. They exited the storage room and entered into a hallway. Rikku pointed to where her cabin was and Snake began moving with her towards it. Raiden and Otacon followed him closely from behind all the while hoping nobody was going to bother them until after they had armed themselves. The door to Rikku's room wasn't open, which made Snake momentarily suspect that he might be walking into a trap. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Rikku's room was hardly befitting of a woman her age. Gadgets, toolboxes, a workbench, a large desk, a lonely easel, and a bed without a frame or matching sheets made up her unique habitat. The three bags the Fayth had given them were resting on the table. Raiden checked through his while Otacon searched through Snake's since Hal usually knew what Snake liked to take with him on missions.

"We're missing the magazines." Otacon said.

"Don't look at me!" Rikku exclaimed before they could blame her. "Your naked picture books don't interest me. One of the men probably took them."

"Where's the nearest bathroom?" Raiden asked.

"Just right outside my room. Make sure you don't go into the girls' room! The boys' room has _Sah _written above it."

Raiden armed himself with an M-16. Snake narrowed his eyes at the gun, but decided to put off arguing with Raiden until later. The M-16 had never gotten along very well with Solid Snake and they hadn't been on speaking terms since that one time it had almost gotten him killed. Otacon took out Snake's AK-47 and clumsily set it up to work for his defense. This made him feel like one of the guys, but he was quick to dismiss that notion as pure fantasy. Otacon had learned how to use a gun, but he had never been in a situation where he had to apply that knowledge. They darted back into the hallway, fully armed and ready to do some negotiating in exchange for Rikku's comfort. But before that, Raiden found the men's bathroom and yanked the door open. The person inside seemed to be wearing eye shadow and also sported a Mohawk along with an abundant amount of tattoos. He screamed in a high pitched tone as Raiden took the magazines from him.

"Got him with his pants down!" Raiden declared.

Snake decided to take his word for it as he did not intend to check himself.

"See? It's too bad he didn't catch you off guard, isn't it?" Snake asked Rikku.

"Yeah." Rikku said wistfully.

"Everything I do is wrong, isn't it?" Raiden asked rhetorically.

"I've dealt with that for the past twelve hours." Snake whispered in her ear.

"I see. That explains quite a bit." Rikku said.

"You have no idea."

"**Rikku, **_fryd'c kuehk uh?_" the man demanded in his strange language.

"_Uin kiacdc yna mayjehk."_ Rikku responded.

"_Hu! Drao'na hud mayjehk drec creb!_"

He stood up with the intent of bursting out of the room, but the two rifles aimed at him ensured he sat right back down and didn't get too excited. The man looked at Raiden and Otacon with the same hate Snake held for buttered toast.

"_Oui mayja _**Rikku**_ ymuha, oui eteudc!_" he shouted.

The gentleman added a furious spit to the end of his sentence to emphasize his aggravation.

"Who is this stink weed?" Snake asked.

"He's my brother." Rikku replied.

"You're kidding!" Snake shouted.

He flipped Rikku around to get a good look at her and then compared her face to her brother's. She smiled tightly for his study.

"Good God! I bet you take after your mother." Snake said.

"That I do." Rikku assured him.

Snake spun her around and put her at a disadvantage again.

"He's also captain of this ship. If you want off, I'll try to convince him to let you go. We should be near Bisadio Island. You can take one of our lifeboats there."

"Alright. Tell him that."

The two of them argued heatedly for a moment before her brother finally conceited. Rikku smiled in victory.

"Let him go." Rikku said. "He'll clear the way for your escape."

"Fine, but no tricks, Rikku." Snake said.

She nodded. Otacon and Raiden eased up and let Rikku's brother step out of the lavatory. He shouted something at them that ended in an octave a little higher than he intended, which really made him sound like a sissy. The man then marched ahead dejectedly. Snake followed him topside where he ordered everyone to stop working and come below deck for a while. None of them seemed to like the idea. A scathing argument ensued with Rikku trying to become as animated as possible in Snake's grip, which did nothing but tire her out. Fingers were pointed, a small anchor was threatened to be used as a weapon, and Rikku's brother exhibited the habit of stamping his feet in protest when he didn't get something he wanted. Snake heard someone coming up behind them. He turned to see more of the crew looking up at him without a speck of trust evident in their aura. This was going nowhere fast.

Snake unhanded Rikku and shoved her forward. She stumbled over herself in surprise before finally regaining her balance. Raiden and Otacon quickly formed a small triangle with Snake at its head. The crew of the ship kept their distance and nodded in approval. Snake spotted the lifeboats hanging from the side of the ship an uncomfortable distance ahead of them.

"Rikku." Snake called to get her attention. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. No hard feelings, okay? We were sent here to do something for someone and that thing which we must do does not involve the Al-Bhed. Take us to those lifeboats."

"Right." Rikku said with a nod.

Rikku continued speaking in Al-Bhed as she lead the three men towards the lifeboats. The atmosphere on the deck seemed to ease up a little as the tension disappointed at her unintelligible charisma. She should have been in charge, but then again her personality could jeopardize the wellbeing of the entire ship. Rikku's brother raised a voice of protest as the three men climbed aboard one of the lifeboats, but he was quickly shut down by a snappy remark from another female Al-Bhed.

"Bisadio Island should be a few miles to the north. In this kind of weather you should be able to reach the shore in about thirty minutes." Rikku said. "Good luck."

She reached into a pocket and tossed them a relatively simple compass, which Snake caught. Rikku and another Al-Bhed lowered the three of them into the water. Snake grabbed both of the oars and began paddling once they were floating safely. Rikku watched them for a moment as they paddled off toward the island in the distance, wondering if she would ever meet this strange Snake character and his friend in the glasses ever again.


	4. Chapter 3 : A Meeting Spurred by Destiny

**Chapter 3: A Meeting Spurred by Destiny.**

Snake and his two companions arrived on the island about thirty minutes later. During that time Snake fully explained why they had been so violently pulled from their own world. Neither of them took the news too well. General confusion was imminent, but Snake outlined their course of action by making finding Tidus their top priority. The Al-Bhed ship was but a speck on the horizon when viewed from the shore. It felt like the afternoon and the position of the sun confirmed that assumption. The moment they left the beach they entered into a luscious jungle. Peculiar birds, odd plants, and a very dirty weasel made them feel farther from home than they cared for. It reminded Snake of the Galapagos Islands.

Raiden took the hike well, but Otacon suffered immensely under the tropical heat and rough terrain. Snake's sneaking suit became uncomfortable as time went on. He imagined Raiden was experiencing similar discomfort. The outfit had been made to breathe well, but Snake preferred a loose set of camouflage to this skin tight jumpsuit. None of them had anything to say aside from their grunts of exertion for half of the sweaty trek. When Raiden began shouldering Otacon, Snake decided it was a good time to take a break. Besides which, Snake was getting hungry. He checked the ground for surprises before he sat down on it. His companions followed his example to avoid the embarrassment of sitting down on an ant hill or a venomous snake.

"Why doesn't this place have mosquitos?" Raiden asked nobody in particular.

"We should be thankful for that." Otacon replied. "They're not very detrimental to the ecosystem. All they do is spread disease."

Snake pulled out a random ration and a canteen full of purified water. He tossed his bag out in the middle of his teammates so they could have some of his rations if they wanted. Snake packed nothing but the tastiest MRE's available to the United States' military. Otacon and Raiden sorted through the variety of food and picked out what sounded good to them.

"So let me get this straight. We're supposed to help kill a giant whale creature that can level an entire city with its sneeze?" Otacon asked.

"Apparently."

"You really should have gotten some more specifics out of that Fayth you spoke to." Otacon said.

"I figure that everything will sort itself out as we go along on our journey." Snake said. "Besides, our job is only to protect the person who is destined to kill it."

"This is a rather brazen decision for someone like you." Raiden said.

"We've got our orders. Blame the Fayth for being cryptic. This didn't seem like a mission I could just say no to. Then again, none of them are. Come on, Otacon! I thought that you would at least be happy with this situation. This is just like one of your Japanese anime's, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's almost like Inuyasha in a way." Raiden piped in.

"Shut up, Jacky. I'm in charge of picking on people here." Snake quickly interjected.

Otacon sighed heavily and Raiden glared at Snake, who wasn't phased in the least by their worries. As he said, he expected the means to defeat Sin to become evident and so long as Spira had chaff grenades and a Stinger missile launcher he'd stand a chance if all else failed. If it didn't even have the materials available to make those two weapons he would just have to improvise because he was completely out of rockets and so was Raiden. Of course, he wasn't going to tell his two companions that. He also wasn't going to mention that it might have been a better idea to follow the coast into a village. In any case, Snake was accustomed to taking on things twenty times his own size and Sin definitely was a lot bigger than a tank.

"I guess I should be looking forward to this." Otacon said, trying to be positive. "After all, I get to see an alien civilization and when we're finished we just might find a method of interstellar transportation. I could get the Nobel Prize for this."

"I feel like going home already." Raiden said in a tired tone.

"Forget it. We're stuck here until we kill Sin, understand?" Snake retorted.

"Maybe you shouldn't have pushed Rose out of that beam we were wrapped up in." Otacon said.

"Hold on, that's actually a good thing because we don't have to watch them cuddle and kiss all the damn time." Snake pointed out. "That was pretty good, Otacon. I'm surprised to see that you're capable of such caustic banter."

"I learned it from watching you." Otacon said.

Snake gave Otacon a thumbs-up which he returned with a two fingered salute. Raiden sighed and stayed quiet because he didn't want two of them attacking him at once. He continued eating his beef ration in glum silence.

"Cheer up, Raiden. We'll go home just as soon as we save the world." Snake said to console the blonde ladyboy.

"Again." Raiden said.

"You'll never be like me if you keep thinking like that." Snake said.

"Who said I wanted to be like you?"

"You were tickled pink to be in my presence a few days ago." Snake pointed out.

"The reality is no match for the legend, I'm afraid." Raiden muttered.

"I should slap you." Snake said. "But I'll let you do that yourself at night when Rose isn't there to warm the other side of the bed."

Raiden groaned and shook his head in disgust. After the team finished their meals they continued walking through the dense and humid vegetation until they found a road. It was well worn by travelers such as themselves. The decision on which direction to take was determined by a coin toss. They headed west on easier ground.

"So who's this Tidus guy?" Raiden asked.

"Beats me. The Fayth said he'll lead us to the person who's destined to kill Sin." Snake said. "He looked pretty athletic. Maybe he's a member of some track team."

"This is all so vague." Raiden complained.

"Okay." Snake stopped walking, causing Raiden and Otacon to do so as well. "What's your plan, Jack?"

"Mine wouldn't be any better than yours if I went with the information you've been given." Raiden said.

"Then quit whining. Do you know where whining gets you?"

"Dead?"

"Now you're learning."

Snake reached inside his bag and pulled out a ration that had hidden itself underneath his canister of coolant. He handed it to Raiden and resumed his pace forward. Raiden looked at the container and noticed that it was full of apple slices covered in cinnamon cream. The symbolism was quite evident. Sighing, he put them in his own bag to consume later when he was hungry again. The trio continued walking for about a half-hour before rounding a corner heavily shrouded in vegetation and inadvertently initiating what was to be a most fateful meeting. Their lives would be forever changed by what was about to occur, but what happened first was a highly distinctive and slightly painful collision. Someone wasn't watching where they were going.

Snake had bumped into a big blue hairy individual carrying a lance and backed away from him to see who he had run into. An entire entourage was with the hairy individual. One man looked like a surfer and the chick along with them must have been into emo music due to how she dressed. Behind them was a young woman in an outfit that resembled a kimono that quickly turned into a robe of sorts beneath her belly. She was significantly frail and quite shy as she preferred looking at the dirt instead of the strangers.

"What the. . ." Snake said in surprise.

He had to look hard to examine the member of the group he had bumped into. Either the person was wearing a catsuit or something Otacon had once drawn with a few Crayons had finally come to life.

"Look Otacon, it's a Furry." Snake said, pointing at the cat beast.

"I can see what it is." Otacon assured him.

"I know I'm just making sure."

The mere act of pointing at the creature and calling it a name it was not familiar with made it roar in fury, which caused Snake's team spring into action. Snake quickly dove into his bag and pulled out his M-9 just in case the goons weren't friendly. Raiden also took out his own M-9. Neither of them obviously wanted any trouble. If they were to be attacked, then they would simply knock out whoever was dumb enough to try and assault them. Snake and Raiden reverted into defensive stances. Otacon kind of squatted awkwardly, but at least he was trying.

"I 'aint never seen Al-Bhed's like this before." the surfer dude said.

His tone suggested that he was joking.

"What are you talking about?" Snake said. "We're not Al-Bhed."

"Look at what they're carrying! They've got to be rogue Al-Bhed, or something." the surfer dude continued.

"Tidus, get back here." the woman in black called. "We have a situation."

The man who Snake had seen in the vision the Fayth had given him rejoined the group. Snake looked over to Raiden and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I saw a butterfly I've never seen before. It was really beautiful."

"And highly poisonous. Stick with the group or we'll leave you behind." the woman chided.

Tidus' eyes perked up in surprise when he faced Snake's group.

"So is this our first fight?" Tidus taunted. "Get out of our way!"

Before Snake could say anything to the contrary he charged them with an odd sword that seemed to have water inside of it. Snake gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger of his M9. Quite to his immeasurable surprise an actual bullet came out of the gun and struck Tidus in the hip. Snake promised himself he would drag Rikku naked through hot coals by her hair for loading the gun with actual bullets instead of tranquilizer rounds. He pulled the slide back and quickly switched the rounds for a clip that actually had darts in it, but the damage was already done. Tidus was on the ground hissing in pain against his clutched teeth as he put pressure on the bleeding wound Snake had given him.

The sight of blood caused the others to promptly identify him and his friends as a threat.

"Wait!" Snake shouted. "Stop!"

They didn't listen to him. The surfer dude took out a volleyball and hit Otacon with it so hard that it knocked him back about seven feet. Otacon landed very badly on his back and rolled a few feet further until skidding to a messy stop. The volleyball magically returned to the surfer dude as if it were a boomerang. Raiden was the next to be incapacitated by a block of ice that appeared out of nowhere and struck him on the head, which knocked him out cold. The woman dressed in black and wearing a gown made out of belts seemed to be the culprit as she smiled in immense satisfaction with herself at the sight of Raiden's broken body. Snake ran off of the path and into the jungle before they could attack him.

The big blue cat man was quick to follow Snake right into the path of a stun grenade, which he made the mistake of looking at directly once the shiny shell landed at his feet. Once it went off the cat guy began roaring in immense disapproval, Snake leaped up from his cover and shot a dart into its neck. This certainly did not help its temper. He yanked it out and collapsed as if his body was completely unprepared to yield to whatever was inside the dart. The creature lethargically managed to stand back up. Snake expected such resistance and was about to shoot it again when he heard the sound of the massive blue cat's friends approaching. Through with dragging out the conflict, Snake harnessed his gun and held up his hands while the blue tiger glared at him. The younger woman stood in front of her companions this time.

"Allow me to explain myself." Snake requested. "My gun is usually loaded with sleeping darts, but it has recently been handled inappropriately by a stupid teenager. Besides, if twinkle toes hadn't charged me, I wouldn't have shot him."

"Actually, there was a Fiend creeping up behind you guys. In his eagerness to show his skills he neglected to warn you of the impending danger." the younger woman said. "But it ran away once you fired your gun. It seems as though we are both at fault. If you did not intend to attack us, then let me apologize on behalf of my Guardians for attacking you."

"A Fiend?"

"One of those." the goth lady said, pointing to the right.

An odd creature completely comprised of jelly gathered its courage to try and kill its prey now that its resolve had been strengthened by positive affirmation. This time it would not cower before a loud noise as it had done in the past. A mosquito the size of a polar bear joined it along with what Snake could only describe as a haunted treasure chest. He quickly pulled out his M-4 and wasted the mosquito by shooting its abdomen open while the beach guy knocked the lid off of the treasure chest. Without an upper jaw it would die a horrible death of starvation. Knowing this, it decided to commit suicide by drowning itself. The chest left the area and began heading towards the ocean. Before cowardice could return to the jelly blob the woman in black flicked her wrist dismissively and watched it melt after it spontaneously combusted. All of this had been done smoothly in under a minute.

Snake was appalled at these freaks of nature and reacted accordingly.

"Jesus Christ!" Snake exclaimed. "Are there more of them?"

"Yes, there are many." the younger woman explained. "Are you not from around here?"

He took a closer look at the woman speaking to him who seemed to be the leader of the odd group. She had heterochromatic irises, which was quite unusual. Typically the colors did not come in the variants she possessed. Snake knew without having to ask that this was the person he had been ordered to protect.

"No. We're not."

"Okay, then. Let me take care of my two Guardians that you have injured and then you can tell us what business you have here. My name is Yuna."

She looked at him, expecting a name. For a moment Snake considered using his real name to avoid confusion or resentment, but decided against it.

"I'm Snake." he replied.

"Any reason why?" Yuna asked.

"Military protocol."

"I see."

Yuna did a gesture remarkably different from a handshake or a bow that Snake was unable to return. Instead, he saluted her under the assumption that the salute was a universal sign of respect she was sure to be familiar with. Yuna did not seem to understand the gesture, but smiled anyway at his attempt to be friendly. She then introduced her companions, who nodded at the mention of their names. The one with the belt dress was Lulu, surfer guy was Wakka, the overgrown cat was Kimahri, and Tidus could certainly not be anyone else other than Tidus. Finished with that formality, Yuna then went on to heal her companions.

She put a hand on Kimahri's chest right where his heart was. A swirling wave of green energy passed from her arm into his chest where it absorbed into his body. Kimahri straightened up and no longer looked as though he were about to pass out. All of his energy had returned to him. There was no further proof needed to clearly indicate that the inhabitants of Spira were capable of using magic. Otacon would geek out all over the place. Kimahri gave Snake a menacing look as if to silently assure him that he'd get back at Snake eventually. They returned to the trail where Yuna assisted the other three injured men. Hal had sprained his ankle during the tumble, but Yuna's healing power took most of the edge off. All Otacon do was stare expressionlessly at her as his senses were overloaded to the point where he was so stupefied that he couldn't do anything but drool out of the side of his mouth. The block of ice that had landed on Raiden's head did not incur a concussion, but it left a nasty gash that sealed up as Yuna traced her fingers along it. Tidus' wound healed in a similar manner as his flesh seemed to be stimulated to repair itself at Yuna's encouragement. This entire process exhausted her slightly and by the time she was done mending their injuries she leaned up against a tree to rest.

Otacon stood up and looked at both of his hands excitedly. Dirty, callused palms and gnarled fingertips finely flattened from playing around with a keyboard for far too long leered up at him with eyeless flesh. He placed both of his hands on the lower portion of Snake's back.

"Cure!" Otacon shouted.

Nothing happened.

"What the hell are you doing?" Snake demanded.

"Sorry." Otacon said, hastily removing his hands from Snake's body. "I just wanted to be sure I couldn't do it."

"Well, it didn't work. In fact, I feel worse."

Lulu laughed at him. It was a great cackle composed of nothing more than pure amusement at his stupidity. Asian women did this to him so much that he was no longer perturbed by it.

"One cannot simply use magic. It takes years of training." Lulu said.

"How does it work?" Otacon asked eagerly.

"Magic works entirely through feeling. It is a combination of the will and sometimes the motions required to manifest a desired effect. The energy to do so exists all around us. Anyone can utilize it if they know how."

"Wow. Real magic." Otacon said in awe.

"Yeah, now it's more than just a crappy card game or whatever macro you've assigned to F6." Snake joked. "You'll have to forgive Otacon. He's just eager."

"For?" Lulu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty much anything. Can you guys summon powerful creatures to do your bidding?"

"Yes." Yuna said. "That's what I do. I'm a summoner."

"You're kidding! I was just being an ass." Snake said.

A fearsome Fiend that looked as though its skin had been pulled over its body and warped into a straight jacket ambled out of the forest with tender steps. It tackled Tidus and the two began to wrestle together like wild animals. Otacon and Raiden looked at Snake, expecting to be given a course of action. Snake watched as the Fiend kept slamming its skull into Tidus' head while he tried to pin it down and retrieve the sword he'd dropped.

"Leave him." Snake said.

"Agreed. He'll work off a lot of his energy." Lulu added.

The adults in the room began to converse while the two children wrestled.

"Anyway, let's get to the point. All three of us were sent here by some odd ghost kid who called himself a Fayth. He wants us to help someone who's going to destroy Sin. Are you by chance interested in that sort of thing?" Snake asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what we've just set out to go do! You said you were sent here by a Fayth?" Yuna exclaimed.

"Yeah. He wore a stupid hoodie."

"Bahamut." Yuna said in a half whisper.

"Gesundheit." Snake said.

"They're holy! It's a sign from Yevon!" Wakka added.

They all did that odd salute and bowed low as if Snake were sent by some type of god. Snake could feel his chest puff out as he began to gloat. It was about time he'd be given recognition for his awesomeness. Medals and paychecks were one thing, but flooring people with his presence was another. Hopefully they wouldn't gush over him. That's when it got annoying.

"So will you let us accompany you on your quest?" Snake asked.

"Of course! I would be honored to have you as a Guardian." Yuna replied. "You seem like a very capable person."

She gasped upon realizing she had forgotten about his companions.

"I'm sure your friends are unique as well. To be singled out by a Fayth is an extraordinary thing."

There was a distinct rubbery snap as Tidus finally broke the neck of whatever had attacked him. Its neck split open as a result and black blood began to pour out of the hole. Tidus retrieved his sword and kicked the foul beast for good measure.

"Keep that up and you might make division finals." Snake said to Tidus.

"But you know nothing of Spira, do you?" Yuna asked.

"Not one damn thing." Snake replied. "All we know is what we've seen up to this point and that much has left me with an incredible amount of questions."

Yuna bit her bottom lip and looked to Lulu for support.

"We'll talk along the way." Lulu said. "We're headed for a port so we can take a boat to Kilika."

"You sound as if you've been through this sort of thing before." Raiden observed.

Lulu pointed at Tidus, who offered a weak smile.

"Feel free to ask me anything." Lulu offered as genuinely as she could.

The next hour was full of nothing but a crash course in Spiran history, customs, ethnic groups, religious beliefs, and all other such important things. Short breaks were taken to kill Fiends of all different kinds. At times they would finish a battle and take three more steps only to be attacked again by the same type of Fiends they had just killed. It did not take long for this to become annoying. Snake proved himself a valuable asset to their team with his M-4 and deadly accuracy. Occasionally it took more ammo then he would have liked to put a Fiend down with. Raiden was at an inexplicable advantage with his katana. Blades seemed more effective when it came to killing the creatures. Snake would need a bigger gun or better bullets. The rifle was fine, but he'd feel better if his gun would tear down the Fiends like regular animals. Their battles were leisurely enough to allow for him to smoke and fight at the same time.

Otacon busied himself with taking notes on everything Lulu said. Snake only bothered memorizing what he thought was important. If needed, he'd refer to Otacon's notes at a later time. A group of people called Maesters ruled Spira. Their authority was absolute. Each member was a representative of a certain race. A priesthood also held some power, but it was the Maesters who made the rules based on the Yevon religion they followed. In other words, Spira was under the complete control of a religious cult. Snake knew he was going to run into problems with that. One key component of this suspicious ideology was the suppression of technology. The Al-Bhed were a race of people completely dedicated to unearthing lost machinery and weapons. By and large they were a peaceful group, but using technology was strictly forbidden by the Yevon religion unless under the guidance of the priesthood.

Snake made no mention of what the Al-Bhed's he encountered were doing offshore. Tidus also kept his mouth shut. Sin was initially born because of technology and that was why the Al-Bhed were looked down upon. Sin punished Spira for all of its passed transgression every ten years. Because of what some people did a thousand years ago, everyone had to suffer. The holes in this logic were too numerous for Snake to count. When he got to know them a little better, he'd have to shake up their beliefs. He hadn't even been in Spira one full day and already he was very suspicious of their political structure. What surprised him the most was how easily everyone believed everything. Nobody questioned Yevon. They all really truly were fine with the existence of Sin. It would be nice if it could be permanently gotten rid of, but perhaps that would not be the best course of action. The Maester's were apparently still debating that topic.

So far the only proven way to kill Sin was by sending summoners to destroy it. A summoner was capable of calling upon the Fayth's, who took the embodiment of several different mythical creatures known as Aeons that were incredibly powerful. It was Yuna's job to acquire all of the basic Aeon's. She would then confront Sin and use the Final Summoning, which would temporarily defeat it. Once Lulu had covered all of that, she then explained Tidus' predicament. He claimed to be from Zanarkand, which had been destroyed for nearly one thousand years. Tidus showed proficiency in blitzball, a form of recreation Lulu could not properly put into words and decided it would be best if Snake saw it for himself. Part of their journey would lead them into Luca, where Wakka would take part in a blitzball tournament alongside Tidus. Apparently he was the captain of Besaid's home team, which really needed someone of Tidus' caliber to even begin hoping that they would win. They believed Tidus was suffering from Sin's toxin as he had gotten too close to the creature. Nobody accepted that he was from Zanarkand and they discouraged him from saying so.

Lulu also expressed concern over Snake's weapons, which fell under the category of machina. This was a generic term used to describe all items not approved by Yevon. Since he was sent by a Fayth, there had to be a good reason behind it. Only the summoners and priests were allowed to see the true identity of the Fayth's and they did not share this information. Since Snake knew what the Fayth who had sent him here looked like, his story was more believable than Tidus'. A Fayth was apparently a person who gave themselves up for the greater good in order to assist in the effort to destroy Sin. They were no longer taking applications. Snake noticed that each Fiend they killed erupted into a yellow mist. These were pyreflies and they were a physical manifestation of the soul. When people died on Spira their souls, or pyreflies, wandered around waiting to be sent. Those that could not be sent either turned into Fiends or reincarnated into the person they were before. This was a strictly forbidden practice with a punishment that extended to the offenders entire family.

Summoners were able to send dead souls into the Farplane where they could finally rest, but since these souls had already turned into Fiends, there was no need to perform the sending. The sun had already begun to set on the horizon by the time Lulu finally finished explaining everything. During her lecture, she drank a great deal of water. Apparently talking for an extended period of time numbed her mouth.

"Is there anything else you wish to know?" Lulu asked.

Snake pulled out his empty Stinger missile launcher.

"Any idea what this is?" Snake asked.

"No." Lulu replied after examining it for a moment.

"Then I don't suppose you've ever heard of missiles?"

"You'd have to ask an Al-Bhed for anything related to machina."

"Maybe I should have searched that ship a little further." Snake muttered to himself. "What about plastic explosives?" Snake asked.

"I don't even know what plastic is."

"Never mind, then. Damn!"

"Is something wrong?" Yuna asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. I was sent here to help you destroy Sin so I'm merely concerned with how I'll be able to do that without the necessary resources."

Yuna smiled.

"There is no need for that. Our final battle will be quite different from these minor scuffles. I can destroy Sin with the Final Summoning by myself just as my father did ten years ago."

Snake sighed. After a few more battles against the same type of Fiends they'd been quarreling with since the morning, Otacon finally got tired of taking notes. He looked at the AK-47 he hadn't returned and felt inclined to use it.

"Hey, Snake. Can I keep the AK-47 I borrowed for the duration of the journey?" Otacon asked as the group passed a waterfall.

"That's a pretty nasty gun for a rookie." Snake said. "But that's fine. Make yourself useful."

As far as Snake knew, Otacon had no experience when it came to firing automatic weapons. They'd had an odd date together where Snake taught Otacon how to shoot a variety of firearms, but since then he hadn't even shot so much as a Derringer.

"I'll let you and Raiden handle the fighting." Otacon said. "If things get thick, I'll help out if I can."

"Works for me." Raiden said with a shrug as he twirled his katana around.

"Same here." Snake said.

Everyone seemed to be getting along fairly well despite the earlier incident. Random conversations sprung up appropriately. Wakka didn't talk to them much. He wouldn't even look at their weapons as everyone else had done. He must have been deeply ingrained in Yevon's lies. As they continued walking, Snake purposefully lagged behind to watch their rear and hopefully catch Hal. Otacon naturally gravitated back towards Snake while Raiden walked alongside Tidus. When Otacon was close enough, Snake threw his arm around him and drew him in even closer.

"Does something about this entire journey seem a bit iffy to you?"

"Definitely." Otacon immediately agreed. "Those Maesters sound a lot like our Patriots. I hate them already."

"Likewise."

"Come to think of it, the general concept of politics reminds me of the Patriots."

"They're all in the same game. The only thing that separates them is a different set of rules. We're going to have a lot of problems, Otacon. By the time we're done with this journey, I'm sure we'll have broken more than a few laws."

"Are you asking if I'm up to it? You know that I am."

"I do. I just thought you'd like to know that I probably don't plan on doing anything by the book around here so you can be ready when we have to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Okay. Not like that's such a big surprise."

"Keep taking notes. I don't know whether or not Jacky boy is having second thoughts about this whole thing quite yet, but don't tell him we are. He can't keep his damn mouth shut."


	5. Chapter 4 : Deep Blue Sea

**Chapter 4: Deep Blue Sea.**

As they set off in the boat bound for Kilika, Snake sat on the stern and had a quiet smoke while he thought heavily about all that lay before him. He took a long drag and blew out a big cloud of smoke, which dissipated gently in the sea air and floated off into the clouds like a bird made of nicotine. From looking at the map of Spira that Yuna had bought from an odd merchant hanging around the port he knew their trip would take quite some time to complete. The peddler they gave their business to also had tiny containers full of food much like the rations he was familiar with. They were fairly cheap and Snake managed to get Yuna to buy a bunch of them since he didn't have any money in Spiran currency. Wakka warned him that some of them didn't taste very good, but Snake assured him that they would all eventually become accustomed to food only good for nutrition. Aside from that, they managed to con some additional supplies by bargaining with a drunk sailor for a single bottle of beer.

"So we've got to go from the far south here to this Zanarkand place there in the farthest north, then." Snake said to himself as he examined the map. "Great, that will probably take at least two weeks. Maybe a month if we're slow."

In addition to Yuna and all her Guardians, there were those who also had business in Kilika. An elderly scholar, the merchant they met at the port, and a few people proclaiming to be knights were in their company alongside ordinary civilians. Most of them were captivated by Yuna's presence. A crowd had gathered around her earlier. She learned that she was behind the other summoners, which did not bother her. The knights remarked that of the summoners they had seen so far, her will seemed to be the strongest. Yuna would not falter. Others were already asleep below deck in bunk beds or sleeping bags due to the hour. Snake was not looking forward to sharing a room with the entire crew.

He took out a Spiran coin Yuna had given him. It was the largest denomination possible. On the front was the symbol of Yevon. Snake equated it to the Eye of Providence. Some things were universal. They wouldn't need to worry about money any time soon since Yuna was a summoner commissioned by the temple of Besaid, which functioned a lot like a church. Everyone in the village she was from had donated to her cause. If they ran out of money, which would be extremely difficult according to Lulu, whoever they asked for extra cash was obligated to help them out under penalty of the law.

"Hey, Snake! Come here!" Raiden yelled.

Snake folded up the map and walked over to the other end of the ship where Otacon and the rest of them were watching Tidus show off with a blitzball.

"He's got some mad skills." Otacon said.

Snake kept his opinion about the display to himself. Tidus balanced the ball on the sole of his foot whilst standing on one hand before jumping into the air, kicking the ball against the ship's mast, and then catching the rebound and kicking it against a target on a wooden plank at the bow of the ship. Women swooned. Men awed. Kimahri rolled his eyes. Snake wasn't impressed. Tidus was already trying to win over Yuna's favor and his athleticism blinded her common sense. Everyone clapped their hands in amazement at the extraordinary skills that Tidus seemed to posses. The only other person they had seen with such graceful moves was the legendary Jecht. Tidus became noticeably upset at the mention of Jecht's name and sulked off ranting that nobody knew what the real Jecht was like. Yuna went after him to see what was wrong.

Confused, Snake searched for Lulu, the woman who seemed to have all the answers for everything mystical and some stuff practical. She was leaning over the guardrail all by herself, giving the fishes a nice view. Snake approached her and offered her a cigarette. She declined.

"Did you see what just happened?" Snake asked, to which she nodded. "What was that about? Who's Jecht?"

"He contributed a great deal to the success of Braska's journey. Braska was the last summoner who defeated Sin. He was also Yuna's father. That's why she's such a hit with the public. As for Jecht? Apparently Jecht is Tidus' son." Lulu explained.

"How does that work out?"

"I am uncertain. Both apparently claimed to be from Zanarkand despite its current condition. Both have arrived to aid a summoner. Ten years apart, I might add."

"Weird."

"There's never a dull moment when Sin comes around." Lulu kidded morbidly.

"Looks like I'm not the only one around here with a complicated family background." Snake said to himself as he watched Yuna put her arm around Tidus and try to calm him down.

Snake went back to his secluded spot at the stern and fished out the iPod Otacon had given him from his bag. The lithium battery was still healthy and would likely last him the whole trip. He loaded up Orion by Metallica. The masterful guitar work wafted through his head as he dozed off, dreaming of kicking Sin's ass and finally being able to relax for a few weeks before his next mission. He then realized something as he sat there nodding his head to the music. Solidus had still been alive when Sin had absorbed them. He could possibly be somewhere in Spira and that launched an insurmountable plethora of worries. There were tons of places he could hide. Snake got an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach just thinking about how easily Solidus could manipulate the technologically backward people of Spira with his knowledge of electronics, ballistics and engineering.

If by some chance he got in good with those Maesters there would be no telling how drastically he could alter Spira. To Snake, Yevon only saw technology as good when they had it. From what Lulu had said earlier Snake knew there was plenty of stuff lying around waiting to be used. Solidus could offer a great deal of advancement in their military department and whenever armies governed by religion gathered enough power, they typically attacked whoever didn't accept their beliefs. Snake could suddenly appreciate all that had happened to him on the Al-Bhed's ship. They would truly need whatever they could find to protect themselves with if the Maesters made some crazy decision. Solidus was a bargaining man and there was no telling how much he stood to gain by helping out here, but perhaps he could find his way back home before they did. Or worse.

It bothered Snake to think how much power Solidus could gather to himself using magic or whatever he could salvage from Spira and with his suit's incredible strength and agility they would probably see him as some kind of god and worship him. This was not good. Snake's thoughts were disturbed by a violent shaking of the ship that knocked him overboard. He grabbed onto the rails at the side of the boat as he fell and grunted as his shoulders cracked from the sudden strain. Snake pulled himself back on board and saw the crew running around in a state of panic. Otacon jumped out from below deck and began pointing his AK-47 erratically.

"What's going on?" Otacon demanded.

"I don't know, but it looks to me like you're running around like a noob!" Snake shouted at him. "Don't let their fear get to you! Go make sure everyone else is okay."

Otacon nodded and went to find the rest of the party. The ship was hit again by the unseen force. Snake heard a scream coming from a familiar voice and ran over to investigate just in time to see Yuna falling overboard with Tidus going in right after her.

"Damn! Hold on!" Snake shouted as he ran toward them.

Snake lost his footing as the ship shook again and slid into the railings, slamming against them hard. He ignored his sore ribs for the time being and peered over the side of the ship. Tidus was hanging on for dear life with his right hand while Yuna, who was halfway in the water already, held on to his left as a group of aquatic monsters began snapping at her heels. Snake heard the sound of something surfacing and looked to see a giant head with three oblong eyes looking at them a hundred yards away. He could recognize that ugly hide in a thick fog. It was Sin. Having been accounted for only by Snake, Sin dove back underwater and continued playing around with the ship they were on.

"Yuna! Climb up Tidus' back and grab my hand!" Snake shouted as he reached overboard.

Yuna shook her head. She was probably scared she might slip. Yuna screamed as an aquatic Fiend leapt up and bit her on the ankle and the water around her began turning red with her blood. Snake pulled his USP out and shot the monster before it could do any more damage. He put his gun back in the holster and extended his hand again.

"Climb him! If you don't, then you're going to draw more Fiends!" Snake shouted.

Yuna still remained indecisive.

"Climb him or you die!" Snake yelled at the top of his lungs. "Do you want to die tonight?"

"No." she said as tears streamed down her face.

"Then climb!"

"Snake's right, Yuna! Just go! I can't hold on much longer!" Tidus urged.

His fingers were beginning to lose their grip from having to support his weight and hers. Kimahri appeared and offered his support by grabbing Tidus' entire arm with one hand. Now it would be hard for Tidus to fall into the ocean. This alleviated most of their tension. Yuna grabbed Tidus' belt and climbed up his body. Snake caught her hand and hauled her aboard. Kimahri was about to haul Tidus up when a large fish Fiend jumped out of the water and mauled his arm. Tidus, having relaxed his grip, fell into the water at the loss of Kimahri's assistance.

"No! Someone save him!" Yuna screamed.

Raiden and Wakka jumped into the ocean after him. They tussled under the water for a moment, slashing at the Fiends with their weapons in order to protect Tidus while the water turned a sickening hue of red. All three men moved very easily within the water. Normally one would not be able to swing a katana with enough force for the blow to be deadly underwater, but somehow the water in Spira was incredibly easy to move around in and supported such acrobatics. They were only limited in how fast they could swim. Everything looked under control until a tentacle wrapped around Raiden's leg and pulled him deeper into the dreamy ocean. Wakka and Tidus quickly followed after him. The captain of the boat brought it closer to the scene of incidence and broke out the lifebelts in case they would be needed. Snake began firing three round bursts into the water with his M-4, killing some of the surface dwellers. The aquatic Fiends didn't take bullets very well, much to his delight.

Tidus appeared at the emergency ladder near the stern and climbed aboard followed by Wakka, who had Raiden thrown across his broad shoulder.

"Come on, Jack." Snake complained, disappointed at his performance.

Despite whatever silent disagreements Wakka had with their company, he was generally concerned for Raiden's wellbeing. He found a spot of the deck away from everyone else and laid Raiden flat on his back. A few people automatically began gathering around him out of instinct with blank expressions on their faces. Snake rolled his eyes and shoved them aside, accidentally pushing another man overboard as he did so. The crew worked together to recover the unfortunate individual. Wakka was about to go in for some heavy cardiopulmonary resuscitation when he hesitated.

"I don't know CPR!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Good excuse." Lulu said.

"You live on an island and you don't know CPR?" Otacon asked.

"Hey, I saved him. I'm just afraid I'll hurt him, or something."

After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Snake got on his knees and began to perform CPR on Raiden since he appeared to be the only person onboard who was actually willing to do so.

"For those of you who have never seen CPR before, this is not a kiss." Snake said as he put his mouth over Raiden's.

Raiden's lungs to sprang back into action and he coughed up the water that had been stuck in them. He gasped for air painfully. Snake checked the leg that the tentacle had wrapped around and saw that it was perfectly fine. Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief the ship was hit again. A giant tail covered in moving bristles emerged from the water next to the starboard bow.

"It's Sin! We're all gonna die!" a deckhand howled in terror.

Pods launched from the tail and landed on the ship, opening up to reveal ugly little black critters with wings, luminescent skin, eyes without irises, and several legs. Within seconds there were plenty of them to go around.

"Sinspawn!" Wakka shouted as he threw his blitzball at one of them.

They attacked by trying to force their prey into their chests where their mouths were located using some of their legs. Snake grabbed Raiden and started dragging him to safety. Raiden immediately slapped at Snake's hands.

"Let me go." Raiden said. "I'll be okay to fight."

Snake helped him up and the two men joined the battle. A swarm of people gathered around Yuna with the sole intent of protecting her as she cast protective magic on them. Otacon had made his way to the crow's nest and was taking the Sinspawn out from on high. One of them just about got the best of a passenger when Otacon dispatched it. Noting that the enemies were pushovers, Snake took aim confidently at one of them and pulled the trigger of his rifle. Nothing happened. Without even thinking about it, Snake slammed the back of the rifle near the middle with his hand in an attempt to clear the problem and yanked the firing bolt back. He aimed at a Sinspawn a fair distance away and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. A chilling spike of pure horror went directly into Snake's heart.

"Goddamnit!" Snake cursed. "Son of a bitch! It's jammed!"

"Just hit them with the butt stock!" Raiden advised.

"Fuck you, Jacky boy!" Snake screamed. "Cover me, you pansy bastard!"

Snake was in a blind rage as he retreated below deck as fast as his legs could take him so he would be able to clear his jam in peace. He ran to the end of the hall the initial entrance lead down into and ducked behind a corner that gave him cover and a clear view of the entrance. Snake got on his knees and flicked the safety for the gun, more than prepared to perform remedial action. To begin with, he took off the M203 attachment and pulled back the firing bolt, locking it into place. Inside the firing chamber were two bullets. A double feed. Snake pulled out the magazine, which was stuck tight due to the jam. He shook the rifle furiously, but neither of the bullets fell out. Snake drove the firing bolt back into place and began to try and clear the bullets out by pulling the bolt back and forth. One round fell out. He continued trying to get the other round out when a great clattering caught his attention. One of the Sinspawn found its way down into his den. The two stared at each other for a moment, captivated in their visual exchange. It finally shrieked angrily and charged him.

He quickly pulled out his USP and put seven bullets into its mouth. This didn't kill it, but it hurt the thing enough that it was now running into things blindly and roaring in pain. He sprang to his feet and beat its head in with the butt of the M-4. When it stopped moving he let up and went back to clearing the jam with its blood splattered on him. The bullet still wouldn't pop out. Distraught, he pulled back the bolt and locked it into place once again and dug his knife out of his bag and proceeded to try and pry out the bullet.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Snake spat through gritted teeth. "Get out of that chamber, you crazy whore!"

The bullet finally dislodged itself from the chamber and fell to the floor.

"About damn time!"

Snake carefully loaded the magazine back in and flicked off the safety. He set the gun to a one round burst and shot the dead Fiend in the chest. By the way it tore through the creatures body, Snake had a feeling that it wouldn't take much to kill them. Just to be sure, he put on his red bandanna before switching his gun back to a three round burst and reattaching the grenade launcher. There was still fighting going on topside and he was eager to jump back into the battle and get himself a piece of the action. Otacon was screaming as he mostly hit nothing while Raiden was gracefully doing cartwheels into the middle of small groups of Sinspawn and then killing them quickly with minimal effort by using his katana. Wakka's ball kept returning to him every time he threw it at something. Lulu was using her magic or demon possessed dolls that severally wounded whatever enemies they touched. Kimahri speared through three Sinspawn in one great lunge and laughed. Tidus was running around recklessly and slashing whatever he could with his sword. The whole thing looked like a circus.

As they took care of the Sinspawn, Yuna pulled out her staff and unexpectedly ran to the bow of the ship when the coast was clear enough for her to do so without an armed escort.

"What the hell does she think she's doing?" Snake asked himself.

Without looking he fired off a grenade down the throat of a Sinspawn, causing a rather humorous explosion and covering him in more gore. The sound and smell took his focus off of Yuna momentarily while he loaded in another shell and shot down four more Sinspawn before he could afford to divert his attention again. He looked back at Yuna and sighed disapprovingly as she broke into a little dance.

"She's gonna get herself killed!" Snake said to himself. "Otacon!"

Otacon stopped screaming long enough to look at him from the crow's nest. Snake thought it over and changed his mind.

"Keep shooting! Raiden, cover me!" Snake demanded.

"Right, on your six!" Raiden affirmed.

Raiden armed himself with his M-16 and sprinted toward Yuna hard and fast directly behind Snake. He shot down two Sinspawn's that could have caused Snake a problem if he didn't have anyone watching his back. Raiden didn't expect Snake to notice. Just as the two men stopped alongside her and before Snake could slap Yuna silly, a massive winged beast tore out of the sky. It was a very large bird with many colors to its feathers. The overgrown turkey flew over towards Sin's tail and opened its mouth. A ball or pure energy began charging at the tip of its beak. Once enough power had been gathered, it unleashed a beam of poultry fury on Sin. A huge chunk blew out of its tail. This seemed insignificant given how large Sin was, but the blow was enough to get Sin to stop showering the boat with Sinspawn and retreat to the depths of the ocean for now.

In less than a minute, the fight was over. Snake turned to Yuna, his mouth agape, an expression that made her smile.

"Please tell me you can do that more than once." was all Snake could say.


	6. Chapter 5 : Waterlogged

**Chapter 5: Waterlogged.**

Kilika was a village built mostly on top of the water, which didn't make it a good place to be during tidal waves. It was relatively small, bordering on medium, and the only thing to do on a Saturday night was go the the temple and pray for a good harvest or play backgammon with grandma. Yuna was met with another barrage of adoring fans upon her arrival. Some expressed concern that another summoner was already in the temple, but Yuna didn't view her journey as a competition. It was more important to get the job done properly than to worry about who was in the lead. They did not take time to rest. In order to get to the temple, they had to take a brief walk through a sweltering jungle full of humongous insects. Ants the same size and length of an adult thumb scavenged around them, mostly ignoring their presence. Lulu kept the less sociable carnivorous pillbugs at bay with a smoke spell.

They were in for a surprise when a gigantic plant creature jumped out of nowhere just as they were about to cross a bridge. The steps leading up to the temple were about a hundred yards in front of them. A collective groan was uttered as they prepared to take down their opponent. This voraciously intrusive Fiend was in for a beating. Before it could even begin to realize how big of a mistake it had made, they killed it. Snake's mood lightened with each encounter they had. The people he was traveling with could take care of just about anything. Their unspoken strategic teamwork felt like chemistry. He tried not to let it get to his head. There would inevitably be a limit to their merciless blitz. He wanted to meet whatever it was that could stand up to them besides Sin itself since challenges like that would only make them stronger.

The temple itself was hideous, both in exterior and interior. Today seemed to be a busy day for it as people were everywhere. It was built on top of a hill that overlooked Kilika. From outside of the temple they could see the village and the rest of the jungle they had taken a shortcut through. The vast ocean was also visible. Snake looked down at the stone steps he had just used and was temporarily reminded of his rush up the communications tower at Shadow Moses. It had taken a while to get up to where they were. Inside of the temple, statues of all the summoners from the past made up the entrance standing in stadium rows along the walls. People were actually praying to these hunks of stone, which was disturbing on many levels. Three rooms were open to them. The one on the right held a shop full of donated goods that the summoners could take from freely. It was the duty of the people to provide for the summoners and their guardians. Here they could obtain food, water, weapons, armor, and necessities for survival in the wilderness. None of the items were cheaply made and some of them looked very expensive. The room on the left lead into a hall with many chambers dedicated to temple oriented business and service to the public. Those feeling guilty could confess their sins there or receive advice during a time of crisis that was usually laced with religious overtones.

Yuna picked up some supplies before heading up a small flight of stairs and through the doorway in the center. A single guard standing by the doorway gave Snake a nod when he looked to her for approval. An elevator awaited them in the next room. It was a simple stone slab that worked automatically once everyone was standing on top of it.

"So what are we doing here?" Snake asked as the elevator descended.

"We're here to pick up an Aeon. It's one of those creatures you saw Yuna use on the ship." Lulu replied.

"I see. They add to the defense of the summoner?"

Lulu nodded.

"What are they exactly?"

"An Aeon is the physical embodiment of a Fayth. A Fayth is what sent you here. They are the souls of those who were lost during the war of Zanarkand a thousand years ago."

The elevator stopped and the team poured out into a small room with a door, a pedestal, and a flaming orb. Lulu walked forward and gestured at the orb so Snake would focus on it.

"Before we get the Aeon, we have to go through what is known as a Cloister of Trials." Lulu explained. "They are nothing more than annoying puzzles built around team building through problem solving. Additionally, they keep those who have not been ordained as Guardians away from the Fayth Chamber."

"Have we been?" Snake asked.

"Yes." Yuna confirmed. "It's alright for you to be in here."

"But there was no christening." Raiden protested.

"All it takes is for the summoner to accept you." Wakka said. "You don't need a badge, ya?"

Lulu picked up the flaming orb. Snake half expected her to catch on fire, but he was slowly being desensitized toward logic due to magic. Magic. The mystical property that defied science and made life better for those who could use it. Lulu placed the orb in a slot in the stone door. A symbol projected itself from the door in the same manner a holograph would.

"This means Kilika." Lulu went on. "Each temple is built around the same purpose, which is the destruction of Sin. You will eventually see that every temple is connected."

The door opened, revealing another puzzle room.

"But I thought it always comes back." Snake said, trying to plant some seeds of doubt.

"For now. One day we will truly destroy it." Lulu assured him.

"Haven't you used the same methods for the past one thousand years?"

"It is the only proven way." Lulu said with a tone of finality.

"There are those who are trying to kill Sin using machina." Yuna added helpfully. "They have put a lot of thought into the plan. Last I heard, they are intending to attack Sin very soon."

"Damn. You would need at least a battle cruiser. Maybe a battalion of tanks."

"Or a Metal Gear." Raiden said.

"Yeah, that's true." Snake agreed. "Ray and Rex both have some heavy artillery, but they tried stuff like this on Godzilla in the movies and it never worked."

Yuna smiled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I didn't think you would." Snake said. "I'm still confused. I thought the people hated the Al-Bhed and machina."

"The machina they are using has been approved by the clergy and it's a group effort." Yuna said. "It's a shame that this is the only issue all of Spira can come together on."

"I don't like their plan one bit. You can't trust those Al-Bhed or their useless gadgets." Wakka stated. "Like Lulu said, the only proven way to get rid of Sin is by doing it the way it has always been done. Anyone who does it differently is only wasting their time and asking to get killed, ya?"

They entered the next room. Wakka pushed a pedestal over a glowing tile on the floor. An orb appeared in the center of the pedestal. Snake snatched it up before anyone else could out of curiosity. It was very warm, but not quite to the point where holding it was painful. The flames licked at his arm, searing through his sneaking suit and massaging the muscles they touched. It was essentially a heat rub. Lulu pointed him toward a hole in the door that was the same shape as the stone. He placed it inside and the door opened. Snake shook his head, unimpressed.

The next room required a bit more thought and had a flaming pit of fire that blocked their path forward. They could see the exit at the other end of the room. This fire was not the nice kind Snake had just become acquainted with. Snake could smell a Big Boss roast in the back of his mind. To their right was a wall lined with color coded stones placed incorrectly in color coded slots. Wakka rearranged them to correspond properly and a flaming orb appeared at his feet. A stone in the wall slid away, revealing a new hole. Wakka inserted the orb. The barbecue ended.

"Team building." Lulu reminded them. "Good job, Wakka."

"Sure thing, Lulu." Wakka said.

They walked down into the pit and up the other side, entering through the door that had opened when the fire was turned off and found themselves in a waiting room. An odd door shaped like a sharp tooth barred the entrance to the chamber beyond the room they were in. A muscular man dressed in a compromising outfit that looked specifically tailored to bondage stood beside the tooth door with his arms crossed. He did not say a word. They kept as far away from him as possible. Lulu leaned in closer to Snake.

"We're outside of the Fayth chamber." Lulu whispered. "When the summoner inside is done, Yuna will go in and receive the Aeon. Once that's finished, we move to the next temple."

"You're so kind." Snake said.

"I thought you'd feel better if you knew what was going on."

"I do. Who's the mouth breather?"

"A Guardian."

"Wait. If they came in ahead of us, then how come we had to solve all those puzzles again?" Otacon asked.

"Magic." Snake replied. "Right?"

"Yes. The puzzles reset themselves when the presence of a summoner is detected. . .through magic." Lulu explained.

The tooth door opened and out stepped a female islander dressed in a manner to accompany her Guardian. Lulu blushed. The outfit she wore was in one color, that specific end of the spectrum registering as nothing but orange. She walked up to Yuna and examined her with immense scrutiny. Yuna's head sunk slightly in light of the disapproval. The foul woman then looked over all of Yuna's Guardians. She reached in and straightened Otacon's collar for him and laughed when she came to the end where Snake was standing. The woman stood in front of Yuna for another round of belittlement.

"Are you not Lord Braska's daughter?" she asked condescendingly.

"I am. Who might you be?" Yuna asked, remaining polite.

"Dona. Why do you have so many Guardians? Are you afraid of the journey ahead of you?"

"No. I did not ask for their company. They are here because they want to be and they are also my friends."

"The more the merrier, I suppose. What a league of degenerates! Barthello here is all I need."

"I noticed." Yuna muttered.

"Dear, it's alright to be afraid." Dona said. "You don't have to follow in your father's footsteps. Go home and let the other summoners handle the journey. You have nothing to prove."

Yuna's eye twitched, the first sign of anger any of them had ever seen from her.

"I will finish what I've started regardless of the consequences. Do not patronize me."

"You are only fooling yourself. Would your father have approved of this decision?"

Snake observed that Yuna showed no intention of defending herself so he decided he'd get Dona to back off for her. He took a step forward and was immediately blocked by everyone. Even Raiden and Hal were prepared to restrain him. Snake backed off and decided to employ his verbal assault from a less personal distance.

"Look, lady." Snake said. "You shut your tits up, got it? Stay the hell out of our way."

"What a brute!" Dona shouted, not the least bit perturbed.

"You're not helping." Lulu said critically. "Be mindful of what you say."

"If you are in this for nothing but the fame, be my guest. Finish before I do." Yuna said. "I will take my time."

"You're nothing but a commoner in summoner's robes." Dona said. "And you're Guardians? They're peasants with clever costumes! How positively underwhelming. Your father would be ashamed."

She stormed away in a huff with her head held high enough to give herself a whiplash. Barthello tailed behind sheepishly. Yuna's hands balled up into fists. She took a very deep breath and let it out slowly, taking comfort in the sound of the elevator ascending.

"What's up her ass?" Snake asked. "Has anyone ever heard of her before?"

They shook their heads.

"She's probably suspicious of my heritage." Yuna said. "I'm getting the most attention out of all the summoners, which I did not ask for nor do I prefer. That's why she was so upset. She must think I'm pulling some kind of stunt."

"I'd like to take those Aeons away from her and see how capable she is of defending herself." Snake said.

"That wouldn't humble her." Wakka said. "People like that are just bad news all the way around."

"Let's try to forget about her. She didn't bother me." Yuna said. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Yuna entered the Fayth Chamber now that it was free. Snake followed right behind her and almost got his foot taken off by the door as it slammed down to bar his entry. With a sigh, he took out his pack of smokes and lit one up. He half expected Lulu to raise some stink about how he couldn't smoke in a holy temple, but she remained silent. Yuna reappeared ten minutes later as if she had just gone in for a checkup. The Guardians who knew what was going on perked up expectantly and Yuna nodded with a slight smile.

"We're done here." Yuna announced.

They left the room and used the elevator.

"Our next stop is Luca." Lulu said for the benefit of Snake and his traveling companions. "We will need to take another ship to get there."

"This adventure is fairly linear." Snake commented.

Before anyone could bore Snake by reminding him that the pilgrimage was traditional and traditions were linear by nature they were distracted by the screams of terror drifting down from above. When the elevator came to a stop and they rushed into the entrance of the temple they saw that it was packed with panicked visitors. By their wailing and general misery it was obvious they weren't here to pray or offer gifts in exchange for good standing with Yevon. They were all from the village. Yuna located a temple official, who could have been spotted from a mile away due to the fancy robes he wore.

"What's going on?" Yuna asked.

"Sin is approaching Kilika." the man announced.

"What?" Snake shouted. "Then why is everyone holed up in here?"

"Yevon will protect us." the priest assured him.

"Are you kidding me? It will destroy this place too!"

The priest looked incredibly offended by what Snake had just said and began to look him over more critically.

"Sin has never attacked a temple. Shouldn't you know that? Are you an Al-Bhed? You certainly dress like one."

"He got close to Sin." Tidus suddenly said, rushing to the rescue. "I got close to Sin too. So did those guys."

Tidus pointed over to Otacon and Raiden, who nodded enthusiastically. The priest did not seem convinced and leaned in to examine Snake closer. His breath smelled like old Bible pages and holy water. He focused mainly on Snake's eyes. After a moment, he nodded and stepped out of Snake's personal space.

"May you recover from the toxin quickly, then." the priest said. "Go pray."

Lulu grabbed Snake by the arm, sinking her nails into his skin, and rushed him to a corner. Tidus followed.

"You are going to get us excommunicated." Lulu said as calmly as she could.

"How?"

"Yuna is responsible for your behavior."

"That's bullshit! I'm responsible for my own behavior."

"Maybe, but that is the way things work around here. From this point forth, you are not to say anything to anyone affiliated with the temples. That includes Dona. Do you understand?"

"Forget it. I'll just be more careful about what I say and if I have questions, I'll ask you."

Lulu nodded.

"Fine. Keep within the team. It'd probably be best. We won't fault you for not being from this world. Others most certainly will. In any case, we are safe in here. Sin does not attack temples."

"Why was he looking at my eyes?"

"The Al-Bhed have distinctive swirls around their pupils. It's a hereditary trait that is dominant in every one of them. Al-Bhed are absolutely forbidden from entering temples."

"Cute. And the toxin?"

"Being close to Sin is supposed to make you forget stuff. That's why nobody believes I'm from the real Zanarkand. The not completely destroyed one. They say it's the toxin, but I know better." Tidus explained.

"Three men sent by a Fayth and another from Sin itself." Lulu mused. "I'm about ready to drop many of my preconceptions."

"That's more like it." Tidus said.

"And Snake, I already told you about the toxin. Weren't you listening?" Lulu asked.

"I was too focused on your beautiful lipstick." Snake said, tapping his own lips for emphasis.

Lulu blushed profusely. He caught her completely off guard. She cleared her throat and straightened herself.

"Pardon me?" she said.

"I'm kidding." Snake said. " I simply forgot. There's way too much to remember here."  
A man rushed inside the temple screaming like a girl with one of the flesh eating pillbugs right behind him. Kimahri sprang into action and speared it dead. Gooey blood that smelled like bad spinach erupted everywhere. He then rushed outside to see if anyone else was in need of assistance. The rest of the team followed. A few people were being mauled by the deadly pillbugs just inches away from the temples entrance. Those with short range weapons took care of the enemies in the immediate area. Snake looked ahead and saw Sin steadily approaching Kilika in the distance. It was almost upon it. The beast was completely covered in water that somehow stuck to it even though it had surfaced. Snake sighed in exasperation. Magic again. He rushed to the edge of the steps with his M4 forward and shot at some of the pursuing bugs as the citizens of Kilika stumbled up the steps. Otacon was about to accompany him with his AK-47, but Snake grabbed his coat and forced him back.

"What was that for?" Otacon demanded.

"They're too close to the citizens." Snake said as he shot a moth off of some woman carrying a baby. "You're still too green. Go for sure shots only, Hal. Leave the rest to me."

Otacon nodded and took out a pillbug that Tidus had thought he had killed just as it sprung back to life. He looked back down at the steps and saw some older people really struggling with them. Otacon saw a task better suited to him.

"Cover me." Otacon requested.

Snake did so as Otacon helped some people along. Hal was such a humanitarian. Yuna healed the wounded when the area outside of the temple was finally secured. People were still pouring in from the jungle. Tidus came to Snake's aid and upon seeing that he could handle himself perfectly fine all by himself without any help he simply stood their awkwardly by Snake's side. Snake looked back at Sin after dispatching a wicked praying mantis the size of a wolf and saw that it had come to a stop. It released the enormous amount of water it had gathered unto itself. A devastating tidal wave tore Kilika apart right before his eyes. The water poured into the jungle beneath them and soon came crashing into those at the very bottom of the steps, slamming them hard face first against the rock and carrying their inert bodies away.

The force of the wave probably meant that anyone who had been swept up by it would be crushed or severally wounded. In less than two minutes, it was all over. Sin stood over what it had done and groaned in what sounded like sorrow. Snake found this odd for a creature so attached to destruction. His conspiracy theories about Yevon multiplied exponentially at this revelation. Sin groaned once more and turned around. It dove into the water and left the scene, sending a moderate sized ripple through the destruction. Just like that, it was gone.

"Shit." Snake cursed.

"We've got to destroy that thing." Tidus said.

Tidus was absolutely shocked. He'd obviously never seen mass destruction before. While what had happened was horrible, it wasn't the worst thing Snake had ever seen. He felt the onset of an unexpected headache grip him. Snake pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, hoping that the nicotine his body craved would prevent the dull pain from turning into a migraine. Yuna joined them and observed the depressing scene. With a heavy sigh, she took out her staff and drew herself a circle. She then did another dance. This one was a little more ornate than the one she had used to summon the rainbow bird. Snake could see that it evoked sorrow, but he was not that moved by it.

Everyone around her certainly was. People had tentatively come out of the temple now that the excitement was over. Upon seeing Yuna's dance, some of them were brought to their knees. Snake quickly stole a glance down the stairs and saw that the Fiends had quited down. They were no longer taking advantage of the chaos. He then continued watching Yuna. Wakka took up a spot beside Snake, who was so entranced and confused by the display that his cigarette had gone out.

"It's a sending." Wakka said.

"Look." Tidus said.

They turned around and saw a bunch of pyreflies rising up from the bottom of the steps and in some parts of the jungle. All of them flew up the steps passed everyone and circled around Yuna. When they stopped coming, Yuna stopped her dance and pointed in a specific direction.

"What the hell?"

"Yuna's directing them to Guadosalam, where they enter the Farplane and the afterlife." Wakka explained.

"A real afterlife?"

"Yeah. You guys don't have one?"

"It's hard to say."

Wakka looked at Snake funny.

"That's kinda sad, ya?"

Snake didn't answer. The pyreflies flew up into the sky where they could hardly be seen and took off toward where Yuna had pointed. Tears streamed down her face, but she cried silently for the dead. The people of Kilika bowed their heads in respect. Some gave Yuna the salute she had given Snake earlier as a way of showing their appreciation for her services. She looked like she needed a nap. Snake lit his cigarette again, reloaded his rifle, and proceeded down the steps.

"Where are you going?" Tidus asked.

"To gather wounded." Snake replied, not stopping.

**X**

Snake woke up the next morning in a daze caused by some very bad dreams and a screaming headache. Despite having gotten about eight hours of sleep, he was still tired. He didn't know how late he'd been up the night before with everyone in the ruins of Kilika helping those who had miraculously survived after Yuna had performed her sending, but he did remember that he'd gotten sick on top of a dog on his way back to the inn, which was intact enough to allow him to sleep outside of the temple unlike everyone else. Snake enjoyed the privilege of being the only customer. There was no roof and the floor was very weak in some spots, but the bed was good enough for him. He felt bad that he was staying for free considering what had happened, but the two thousand dollars in cash he always carried with him while not on a mission meant nothing in Spira. He felt someone kicking at his bed and rolled over, spotting a blonde haired man.

If not for false awakenings, the morning would have continued smoothly. However, Snake didn't have his medication with him and had gone to the Big Shell on the day he was supposed to get a refill from the pharmacy so there was nothing to keep him from having very vivid waking nightmares.

"Sleeping late as usual?" Tidus asked.

"Liquid!" Snake shouted.

"Who?"

He confused Tidus for his current arch rival and subsequently CQC'd the hapless kid through the weakened floor down into the ground level. They fell together and came to a crashing halt with Snake on top. Tidus tried to get away, but Snake quickly got him in a debilitating headlock. The innkeeper watched in stunned amusement from behind his desk as Tidus turned red and swatted helplessly at Snake's massive muscled arm. When Snake was awake enough to remember that Liquid was probably dead for the time being, he realized he had a hold on Tidus. He immediately let go. Tidus crawled away gasping for air and moved across another heavily saturated area of the floor and fell into the ocean beneath the inn. Snake peered over the opening and offered Tidus his hand. Tidus screamed a little and swam away.

"Wait! It's alright. You shouldn't wake me like that." Snake said.

"Why?" Tidus demanded.

"Because I have PTSD and it loves to manifest itself in my sleep and during my waking hours. Now get over here and let me help you back up."

Tidus grabbed Snake's hand. Snake pulled up and subsequently fell through the straw floor and joined the ocean with Tidus. He surfaced, floated, and looked up at the hole they had just made.

"Well, shit." Snake muttered. "I guess we'll have to swim to the shore."

"Who's Liquid?" Tidus asked.

"It's a long, long story." Snake said. "And given how this morning has gone so far, you won't be hearing it. What are we doing today?"

"We're taking a boat ride to Luca."

"That doesn't seem so smart with Sin prowling the immediate area, does it?"

"I said that too and they told me the captain would be staying off of the main routes. It will take longer to get there, but it should be safer."

"Maybe we should just take the whole goddamn temple with us since Sin doesn't attack temples."

Tidus laughed.

"That's a good idea." he said.

As they swam, Snake had remember that Otacon mentioned that the entire ocean was freshwater. Curious, he checked to make sure there weren't any floaties around him and he took a tiny sip of the water. It definitely wasn't salt and tasted as if it had been thoroughly filtered. Once they reached the shore and crawled up on the beach, Snake took out his canteen and poured out all the water he had been drinking from. He then filled it up with the water from the ocean since it tasted a lot better. They eventually met up with the rest of the team at a dock that hadn't been completely destroyed. A few other passengers boarded with them, filling up the ships carrying capacity, which mostly consisted of islanders on their way to the mainland. Snake looked back at Kilika's remains and decided it could have been a lot worse. Already there were plenty of people salvaging what they could and making plans to rebuild. It was an encouraging sight.

The adventurers were told that it would take two whole days to reach Luca due to the reason they were already aware of. Therefore, it was going to be a hell of a long trip. Snake decided to spend it nursing his headache and so disappeared into a private cabin with a herbal drink Yuna had prepared for him. She offered to use magic, but Snake instead opted for the alchemist's solution. He took off his entire sneaking suit, which left him clothed in a pair of black boxers. It felt nice to finally get that thing off. While it was designed to breath, it didn't do a good job of it.

He drank the mixture while sitting at a desk and checking to see if any of his guns needed to be cleaned. The drink was incredibly sweet and so good he'd have to have another. Snake tasted cinnamon, spiced chai, rum, and a hint of aloe. It made him feel sleepy. He took out his iPod from the bottomless bag, which he left on the desk, and collapsed on the feather soft bed. After a few minutes of simply relaxing, he stuck one headphone in his ear so he could hear out of the other if something happened. Snake temporarily turned the volume down and began listening to his 'Morning After, Night Before' playlist. As soon as he adjusted the pillow to his liking he was out.

While he dozed, the day went by quickly for everyone else. Wakka reunited with his blitzball team and talked strategy with Tidus for the impending tournament. Lulu read a book. Yuna spoke with her adoring fans. Otacon and Raiden taught Kimahri how to play poker. They played with some money the travelers had given them freely to spice up the game. Kimahri mopped the floor with his two opponents. They then showed him how to play Speed and he broke a nice table because of it. Slapjack was now out of the question. After they finished playing, Kimahri paced the ship to ensure that everything was in order.

Much later that evening, Yuna walked in on Snake to see how the potion she'd given Snake had worked on him. As she entered the room, she spotted the bag of weapons Snake carried lying innocently on the desk. She checked to make sure Snake was sleeping soundly and then investigated Snake's inventory. The first gun she pulled out was a tactical USP. Lighter and more efficient than a SOCOM, it had since become Snake's second favorite gun. Yuna was immediately fascinated by the weapon mainly because she was forbidden to use guns of any type. The clergy was very specific with their rules and restrictions. Yuna had been trained to use her staff in defense if she needed to and she displayed a high degree of proficiency when yielding it. Still, guns were a lot more interesting.

While she stood entranced by the gleam emitting from the recently polished weapon, she remembered how when she was ten years old there had been a group of Al-Bhed poaching off the shore of the island she had grown up on. While they were firing at the fish in the water with their rifles she had sneaked out with Wakka and Lulu to watch them. She had only been around guns four times since then. Yuna peaked down the corridor, making sure nobody was around. She then sat down at the desk and started examining the gun. Yuna knew the basics of how they worked due to conversations she'd had with the Al-Bhed's that used them. She gingerly removed the magazine and started having some fun by posing in front of a mirror. It was oddly empowering to wield the gun, much better than the staff, although she would use that as well if she were allowed to have both.

Her beliefs kept her from nursing those thoughts too seriously. She was just playing around. It came with being seventeen. Everything was more than okay until she slapped the magazine back in. The noise it made was a little louder than she expected and sent a shiver down her spine. Unfortunately for Yuna, Snake had gone through some rather intense training with one component of the program specifically dedicated toward rousing him from the deepest sleep he could get in if he heard so much as a pin drop. Due to that experience, Snake had learned to sleep lightly. The only reason he hadn't heard Yuna before was because she was being so quiet. Acting on instinct, he shot out of the bed and attacked the source of the sound without even needing the aid of his vision. Getting hit in the face with mace and being ordered to disarm the opponent during boot camp meant that Snake had his gun back before his vision even focused.

He tore the gun away from her and shoved her into a wall. Yuna could see the sleepy expression in his eyes. Snake was operating on instinct.

"Snake, wake up!" Yuna said.

He shook his head and saw that he was pointing an empty gun at Yuna. She was trembling in fear. Sighing and feeling horrible, he put the gun back on the desk.

"Don't ever do that again." Snake said. "Never bother me when I'm sleeping for any reason. If you absolutely have to wake me, don't be near me when you do. I just about strangled Tidus into a coma earlier because he did the same damn thing!"

"I know, I'm sorry. I cannot apologize enough. Please forgive me." Yuna said honestly.

"Are you hurt?"

Snake grabbed her arm and spun her around so he could examine her back. A nasty bruise was forming on it.

"Damn, we'd better get some ice on this." Snake said.

"Don't worry, I am more than capable of healing myself." Yuna assured him. "Just please forgive me."

"It's fine. Now you know better. Why were you playing with my gun in the first place? If you wanted to see my guns, you could have just asked. I'm more than happy to show them off."

"I couldn't help myself. I'm forbidden to use machina."

"Forbidden?" Snake repeated.

"If someone saw me with a gun, that'd really hurt my image."

"Have you ever fired one?"

She shook her head.

"Want to give it a try?"

"You want me to actually fire it?"

"Why not?"

"But wouldn't everyone hear it?"

Snake nodded and pulled out a suppressor that he attached to the barrel of the USP. He then loaded it with a magazine, checked to make sure the safety was off, and chambered a round. He offered it to Yuna.

"Not with this thing on." Snake assured her.

Snake motioned for her to come near as he opened a window.

"Fire off a round into the water." he said.

While she awkwardly positioned herself where Snake had been standing and took aim at the water, Snake lit a cigarette for himself. Yuna took a deep breath and pushed all her preconceived notions away and assured herself that just one round wouldn't damn her. A thick 'phut' sound escaped from the suppressor as a .45 caliber hollow-point round tore into the water with a tiny splash. Yuna's grin spread from ear to ear until a dead Fiend floated to the surface. It was hard to tell where the bullet had hit exactly due to how most of the creatures head was now missing, but Yuna had done pretty good considering she had blindly fired the round.

"There, you see? No harm done." Snake said. "You even rid the world of one less fish monster."

"Thank you." she said, blushing profusely.

She attempted to give his gun back, but Snake shook his head.

"Keep it just in case something bad happens for now."

"But. . .but my teachings. . ."

"Yuna." Snake said, stopping her. "Keep it just in case something bad happens. Okay? I'll show you how to shoot it properly a little later when we have some privacy and some stuff we can use as targets. For now, always make sure this little red dot is showing when you don't want to fire the gun."

He showed her how to work the safety.

"Just push it back in when you want to shoot. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand." Yuna said.

"Let me get you a few things for that gun." Snake said.

Snake grabbed his trusty bag and searched through it again. He found a box of ammunition and fingered one round back into the clip so the USP was fully loaded. Way at the bottom of the mystical bag was a spare holster he pulled out.

"This will keep your gun locked into place." Snake explained. "You strap it to your body and slide the gun right in."

"Does that prevent it from accidentally firing?" Yuna asked.

"Good observation. It does."

"How do I work this thing?" she asked. "Oh, I see. It goes on my hip."

Snake respectfully turned the other way but couldn't help but spy on her from a mirror that happened to be positioned in a way that gave him an extensive view. Yuna lifted up her kimono and strapped it to the inside of her hip and inserted the gun right after checking to see if the safety was still on and removing the suppressor before covering her legs again. Snake turned around to face her.

"Do you have your bag with you?"

"No, I left it in my room."

"Give it to me later so I can give you some extra ammunition."

"How much do you have?"

"More than enough. So long as its just bullets, we'll be fine. Make sure you keep the clip once you've emptied it. Now please pardon me while I go somewhere else with your legs still fresh in my mind."

"What?"

"I said you can probably hide a few extra clips on your body right now, if you know what I mean."

She thought about it for a second and then nodded, smiling.

"I'm going to get some air and finish this smoke." Snake said.

With that, he spun on his heels and marched towards the bow of the ship so Yuna could be left alone to experiment with the magazines. Hiding them on her body wasn't very comfortable, so Yuna quickly retrieved her own bag from her cabin and put ten magazines inside of it. Yuna made sure the door was closed and she examined her new weapon again. She smiled. This looked like the beginning of a very interesting relationship.


	7. Chapter 6 : Rescue Mission Number 1

**Chapter 6 : Rescue Mission Number 1.**

Snake spent most of the next day on the boat the same way he had the first. Irreparably bored. Their just wasn't that much to do. The highlight of his day occurred when he went fishing for a spell and caught some truly interesting specimens that he released, one of which nearly took four of his fingers off and had to be bludgeoned into submission with his boot. He spent some time in and out of minor conversations with Yuna's entourage just to get to know them a little better. He ignored Kimahri since he was pretty sure that the furry wasn't interested in furthering their partnership. The food on the ship was terrible. He stuck to his remaining rations for sustenance. After that, he decided to catch up on his sleep debt and subsequently crashed for the remainder of the day. The next morning Tidus woke him up by standing ten inches away from the door to his room and banging on the wall with his fist while shouting that they were pulling into Luca at the top of his lungs. When that didn't seem to work, Lulu sent one of her possessed dolls in after him. Gunshots and screams confirmed that Snake had already woken up.

Luca, unlike the last denizen Snake had seen, was heavily populated. He was the last one on deck as it prepared to pull into the port. From the ocean Luca looked like it was about the same size as a small city. The architecture was an upgrade from the buildings he had seen in Kilika. Straw huts had become stone buildings. Dirt roads were now paved. Everything was built with a brilliant white color. Snake was having a hard time getting a feel for how technologically advanced Spira was. At that point he decided it would be better to just give up and accept things for what they were otherwise every day would be a sensory overload. Wakka's blitzball team was met with a barrage of catcalls once they were off of the boat. He did not seem bothered by them even when some people began throwing things. Apparently they weren't the best team in the league.

Another ship began unloading passengers as they checked their inventories to ensure that they hadn't left anything on the ship. Snake watched as they set foot on the port. They had to be royalty. Some were dressed religiously with much nicer clothing than the priests at the temples had. Of particular interest was the man in blue with blue hair and blue veins bulging visibly out of his skin. His hair was a defiance to gravity and beyond hideous. He spotted Snake looking at him, smiled a little, and gave him a polite nod. A feeling of uncertainty entered Snake as he watched the man walk down the platform elegantly. He looked around, clearly apart from the crowd he was traveling with, and spotted Yuna. Snake saw his face light up with surprise at his discovery. His eyes narrowed as the man approached them.

Wakka was the first to notice the new character.

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka exclaimed.

The part of the group from Spira did their funny salute. Otacon and Raiden tried to emulate it. Snake remained motionless with his arms crossed. If people like Seymour were in charge of Spira, it was no wonder the place was such a mess. Snake corrected himself. He had never trusted politicians. Perhaps Seymour was ignorant and could thus be partially forgiven for his involvement in the dishonest religious government.

"Are you the captain of the Besaid Aurochs?" Seymour asked.

"I am!" Wakka replied enthusiastically.

Judging by how attentive Wakka had become, Snake was certain that Seymour rubbed out a set of twins to Yevon every night before he went to bed. Just like Wakka did.

"Resilience is such an admirable trait." Seymour remarked.

"We do our best in every game we play." Wakka said.

"Try not to let your record bother you. I know how discouraging it can be to have more than five seasons of bad luck, but you shouldn't let that affect your strategy. Is this not your last game?"

"It is. After this I'm retiring and carrying out my remaining duty as one of Yuna's Guardians."

"Yuna? The daughter of Lord Braska?" Seymour asked.

"Yes." Yuna replied.

Seymour turned his attention to her. Snake rolled his eyes and shook his head. This was almost too painful to watch.

"How are you doing, Maester Seymour?" Yuna asked.

"You can just address me as Seymour." he assured her. "There's no need for useless formalities. I'm afraid my emotions are rather mixed right now. My father has recently passed away."

"I heard about that. I would like to give you my condolences." Yuna said.

"Yes. It is rather unfortunate. I will surely miss him. However, there is no need for others to share in my sorrow. It would be more appropriate to share in my victory. All of my hard work has finally paid off. I have been promoted to head Maester." Seymour said.

They all gasped in surprise. Seymour smiled pleasantly again.

"It has not yet been announced. Try to keep it between us. Will you and your team not sit with me during the blitzball tournament today?"

"Today?" Wakka exclaimed. "Oh, no. When?"

"This afternoon. Did you not know?" Seymour asked.

"No, we didn't! We thought it was tomorrow!" Wakka exclaimed.

"On top of that, we ran into some trouble in Kilika. Sin attacked. Our arrival here was a bit delayed because of it." Lulu explained.

"That is truly a shame." Seymour said sincerely, although his words were heavily drenched in a type of charisma that had no effect on Snake. "Don't worry. You still have time to register and I wish you the best of luck. Make this your best game, Wakka. We shall all be watching you from. . ."

Seymour trailed off when he suddenly remembered something. He sighed heavily.

"On second thought, perhaps it can wait until later." Seymour said. "I have a previous obligation to fulfill today."

"Do you still want a personal audience with us?" Yuna asked.

"Of course. I have met with all the summoners except for you." Seymour said. "The spirit of the summoner never ceases to interest me."

"Have you met with Dona?" Snake asked.

Seymour smiled tightly.

"Ah, yes. Dona." Seymour mused aloud. "Issaru was better company. Let's leave it at that. Before I go, I'd like to pass a rumor around. Sir Auron has been spotted in town."

"Auron?" Tidus asked. "Sunglasses, red coat, always carries around a flask?"

"Yes, the same. More appropriately, he was one of Lord Braska's Guardians. He's been missing for years. Many people believed that he was dead." Seymour explained.

"Who did you hear this from?" Tidus asked.

"A reliable source." Seymour assured. "If I see him, I'll be sure to let him know that you're looking for him. Anyway, I need to get going. Hopefully the next time we meet I will have a few minutes to visit with all of you. Until then."

Seymour gave them a parting wave and proceeded to leave the port. Tidus looked visibly disturbed by the information he'd just learned. Yuna was also very interested.

"Wakka, can you go on ahead of me?" Tidus asked. "I need to find Auron."

"What? In a city this big?" Wakka asked. "You've gotta be kidding, ya?"

"I have a good idea of where he'd be." Tidus said. "If he's not there, I'll head directly to the stadium."

"Okay. But you'd better hurry." Wakka said.

"I'll go with you." Yuna said. "I would like to meet him as well. We'll head to the stadium within an hour, Wakka."

"Alright. We'll go register." Wakka said. "Be careful, ya?"

**X**

"Kidnapped?" Snake roared. "You let Yuna get kidnapped?"

"They came out of nowhere and knocked me into the ocean! It all happened too fast." Tidus said.

Raiden grinned. Snake sighed in sheer exasperation and sat down on a nearby bench. After registering at the stadium, the team was forced to wait until Tidus came back. There was such a sense of urgency in Tidus' insistence on finding Auron that Wakka had to let him go. Being a confused teenager, Tidus really needed an older man to play dad in the absence of his real father. Auron fit that description perfectly and probably knew what was going on, hence why Tidus needed to find him to clear up the confusion around all the recent changes in his life that he'd experienced. For some reason Snake knew Auron was the same man he'd seen in the vision the Fayth had given him.

Nobody opposed letting Yuna go along with Tidus by herself so she could spend some time alone with Tidus. She seemed to like him and Tidus wasn't really that much of a bad influence. However, Yuna being kidnapped was something that nobody had bet on. Yuna's other friends were waiting in the locker room for Tidus to return while Snake went outside to have a smoke. Raiden and Otacon joined him. When Snake saw Tidus running up to them, he knew something was wrong but he couldn't have guessed it was this. Spira didn't seem like a place prone to such occurrences.

"I know where they took her." Tidus said. "She's in dock four. That's where the Al-Bhed Psyches are holed up at."

"Did they pass along any demands to you?" Snake asked.

"They gave me this letter written in English." Tidus said as he hastily retrieved it from his pocket. "They're demanding that the Besaid Aurochs throw the game. If they don't, they won't return Yuna."

"What?" Snake asked, highly skeptical. "I saw the records for the Aurochs. They haven't one a single damn game in ten years."

"But that's what the note says!" Tidus said, offering it to Snake.

Snake took the crumbled piece of paper and read it for himself.

"This can't be right. What a weak motive." Snake said as he passed the note back to Tidus. "How well are they armed?"

"Not at all from what I could see. They could have weapons on their ship, though."

"How big is a blitzball team?" Snake asked.

"There are six main players and usually six extras for a total of twelve." Tidus said with way too much confidence. "Their boat isn't very big. I'd say maybe twenty people are on it at the most."

"We could easily ambush that." Snake said. "And to think you had me worried."

"We're not going to kill them, are we?" Tidus asked.

Snake thought of Rikku and knew Tidus had her in mind as well. Perhaps these were merely rogue Al-Bhed. There was a bad apple in every basket.

"No." Snake said. "We'll just hurt them really badly. Go tell everyone else. They're in the locker room."

Tidus ran into the stadium while Snake dove into his bag and pulled out an M1014 combat shotgun since they would find themselves in close quarters. Raiden was immediately jealous and took a large step towards Snake.

"Can I hold it?" Raiden asked.

Snake attached a butt stock and let Raiden ogle the gun.

"I don't think I saw you carrying this during the Big Shell incident." Raiden said as he played with the pump.

"I didn't have it on me. That Fayth kid put all my best guns in this one bag."

"I wish I had a lot of guns. May I have this one after our journey is over?"

"Absolutely not. Honestly Jack, how brazen can you be? I gave you a SOCOM and a pack of smokes. What more do you want out of me? Besides, that SOCOM is vintage. It's a collector's item."

"What do you mean?"

"I shot at Ocelot with it." Snake said. "But I didn't stop there. I shot at everyone on Shadow Moses with that gun."

"Now I can almost forgive how heavy it is."

Raiden gave Snake his gun back. He loaded non-lethal rubber rounds into it. Snake then temporarily switched his M1911 out for his M9. He made absolutely certain that the gun was loaded with darts by checking the clip twice. This would probably develop into an obsessive compulsive habit if he wasn't careful. Tidus finally returned with everyone but Wakka in tow.

"We've got to make this quick." Lulu said. "The game is already underway. We have less than thirty minutes until the Aurochs begin."

"I'm coming too." Tidus added. "Wakka said he can take care of the first round if it's needed."

"I think you should stay behind just in case he can't." Snake said. "Besides, you're going to waste a lot of energy fighting."

"This is my fault. I'm going to help fix this mess." Tidus told him.

Snake sighed.

"Fine. When we get to the ship, Jacky boy and I will go in and save Yuna. The rest of you watch our backs, okay?"

"Are you sure you don't need the extra help?" Lulu asked.

"I make a living off of doing things by myself, but thanks anyway. Let's move out."

Snake ran off.

"Snake, the ships that way!" Lulu shouted, pointing in the correct direction.

"Of course it is!" Snake said as he turned around and began following everyone else from behind.

Snake eventually took the lead as the entourage ran like the wind toward the ship. The harbor they had already been through was made up in a wide circular fashion with a path leading up into the city. Dock four was located in the middle of the bend. They could tell they were getting close when they came upon some security bots prowling around the area. A chaff grenade made it easy for them to go in and pummel the cheaply constructed heaps of junk. All the robots were armed with were two spears carved out of diamonds that served as arms. Getting hit by one of them would certainly hurt since they had a device strapped to their shoulders that helped propel their spears for extra damage. Otacon pulled off a detachable pack on the back of one and the thing fell completely apart. The square slab he held in his hands looked a lot like a lithium battery. There was even a spot for it to plug in and recharge. He tossed it aside.

A second barrage was taken down much in the same manner. The small robots could be quite effective if they were built a little more efficiently. They would certainly dominate against smaller Fiends or anyone who didn't have an abundant supply of chaff grenades and rifle ammunition. When the ship came into view they saw it being guarded by a frighteningly familiar robot. Snake rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A nine foot robot that looked a lot like an upgraded Metal Gear TX-55 was scanning the area. It did not have a turret, a laser groin, or a slot for missiles. What it did have was a hose and an enormous amount of water strapped to its back. Snake winced inside when he figured out how it would attack. He had been hit with pressurized water more than once in the past and it had never been a pleasant experience.

It spotted them easily since their ambush hadn't taken its presence into account. The mech ran towards them. Snake immediately threw a chaff grenade that it targeted and blew out of an effective range with a squirt from its hose. Lulu conjured up a spell that dropped a lightning bolt on its head, but the machine seemed immune to it. The machine then blew a gallon of water directly into Lulu's chest, knocking her over the side of the harbor and into the ocean. Kimahri jumped in front of everyone and hurled his lance into the pack containing water. It pierced the pack and caused a leak. Kimahri braced himself for the impact of the water, which didn't knock him off his feet. He managed to look over at Snake and nod, urging him to proceed forward and rescue Yuna.

"Kimahri's right!" Tidus said. "We've got this, Snake."

Otacon was inspired by Kimahri's idea and began shooting up the water tank, putting more holes into it. Snake and Raiden ran past the mech and boarded the ship. They made their way below deck while the others fought with the pesky Metal Gear ripoff. Their two weapons didn't compliment each other well. Snake's shotgun was slow and Raiden's M-9 was even slower. Still, he believed they could pull this off rather easily if they got the jump on the Al-Bhed's first. The ship had a neatly kept interior that closely resembled the other Al-Bhed ship they had been on. This one was a lot smaller, as Tidus had noted. They could hear the sounds of someone struggling at the other end of the ship near the back. To be safe, they cleared each room before that. Nobody was around. They were all holed up in the back in the cargo hold. Snake got on one side of the door while Raiden took up the other. He signaled Raiden to use a flashbang before they attempted to clear the room.

When the plan was set, Snake opened the door and Raiden tossed in a hot flashbang. The two men averted their eyes. Even though they weren't close to the explosion, they knew the bang was not quite unlike putting one's ear right next to an amp at an AC/DC gig. Snake rushed into the room and took out the first guy he saw with a rubber bullet to the chest. There were five other men to deal with. Yuna was in the middle, tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth and a blindfold around her head. The Al-Bhed really knew how to treat their captives. Raiden took out another guy at the same time Snake did. These kidnappers were starting to become a threat to themselves. The two remaining Al-Bhed began screaming in their own language and got on the ground with their hands over their heads. Snake nodded at Raiden, who shot the men that had surrendered with a tranquilizer dart. He then plugged the two Snake had shot. They probably needed a nap anyway.

Now that the excitement was over, Snake noticed that there were three rifles on the ground. The panywaists must have dropped them when the grenade went off. Snake knelt down and examined one. If he wasn't mistaken, he was holding a battered K-98 Mauser. While dated, it was a good rifle to have if the person holding it was being charged by a dude carrying a sword and another dude carrying a beach ball. The unconscious men at their feet looked like bench warmers. Three of them had very nasty gashes across their skulls most likely caused by a blow to the head with a staff. The regular Psyches must have been really confident that their plan would work. Yuna mumbled through her gag, getting his attention. Raiden untied her and Snake took the gag out of her mouth and lifted the blindfold.

"Snake!" Yuna said. "I knew it was you."

"It's that obvious, huh? Are you alright?" Snake asked.

"I'm a little dizzy."

"That's normal."

Snake shouldered her while she was still disoriented and headed to the deck.

"Do you think you can still manage to. . ." Snake trailed off as he looked ahead.

The mech he had been concerned about was in pieces. Otacon was holding a circuit board and sitting on top of the contraption with a wide grin on his face. The rest of the team waved when they spotted Snake.

"Summon something?" Snake finished in a barely audible mutter.

"I'm sorry I got myself captured." Yuna said. "I almost managed to fend them off with my staff until one of them snuck up behind and put me in a choke hold. Then the men with rifles arrived."

"Don't worry, you did what you could."

"Has the blitzball game started yet?"

"Yes. We need to hurry back to the stadium. I doubt Wakka can do everything by himself."


	8. Chapter 7 : Blitzed

**Chapter 7 : Blitzed.**

Snake took his seat in the stadium next to Raiden and Otacon. He savored the atmosphere. Blitzball made the Superbowl look like a junior high regional football final. There were literally hundreds of thousands of people screaming their lungs out in joy as the second round began in the sphere pool, which was made entirely out of water. They had arrived just in the nick of time. Wakka was beyond exhausted and let Tidus take his place. Tidus assumed the position of team captain and did so with some rather gutsy tactics since they were down by two points. In one play he lead everyone in a blind blitzkrieg through the Luca Goers, sending several of them reeling and wondering what had just hit them. It paid off. They scored a point.

"I had no idea he could get so vicious when he wants to." Snake said to himself as he watched Tidus take on three other players in a fistfight before having to be restrained by the other Aurochs.

"What's with the aggressiveness all of a sudden?" Otacon asked as he took a sip of the drink he had been given.

Much like any other major sports event, there were people hawking food and beverages as they walked down the steps of the coliseum. When they saw a summoner and her Guardians in the midst of the crowd, they immediately started showering them with free food. They accepted it graciously. Snake took something that looked like a beer and was quite pleased with its taste. He knew it was alcoholic and in the end that's all he really needed most of the time. Beer on Spira had a bit more flavor than anything he'd sampled on Earth. The group watched as Tidus tackled a Goer with enough leverage to force him out of the pool. He went flying straight into Raiden, who didn't have enough time to move out of the way. Popcorn sprayed everywhere and his drink went sailing through the air and landed perfectly in Snake's cup rest, which was unoccupied.

"Alright!" Snake exclaimed.

The crowd responded to the spectacle of Raiden being crushed with some sympathetic 'oohs' that quickly reverted back to cheering when the moment had passed. Snake took a drink from the bottle he'd just won and quickly spat the fluid out.

"Yuck! Backwash! Jack, swallow your damn food."

Raiden groaned in pain as a response while the Goer peeled himself off of him and trotted happily toward the entrance of the sphere so he could get back into the game.

"Like I said." Otacon repeated. "I didn't think Tidus had that in him."

"This game is probably his outlet. Besides, I think he's trying to impress someone."

"Who?"

Snake pointed towards Yuna.

"Wonderful. Well, I won't say a word."

"Wink, wink, nudge, nudge." Snake said.

"I hear that. At this rate we'll have another Rose Raiden combo."

"Hopefully we can find some Tylenol somewhere. I don't like having to drink those potions Yuna makes and I can't say nearly as much for her preferred method of healing."

"I think something inside of me is broken!" Raiden exclaimed.

They ignored him until he could be a bit more specific. The carnage inside the sphere pool continued and the scoreboard showed the Aurochs winning by three points after the first ten minutes. As the game progressed, Snake looked up into the VIP box and spotted Seymour. He did not look very happy. Snake took out his binoculars for a closer inspection. As he zoomed in, a cloaked figure walked into the box and sat beside Seymour. The mystery man starred ahead at the water sphere with disinterest as they began speaking to each other. Snake noticed that he had white hair and an eyepatch. Upon recognizing the man, he dropped his beer. Raiden and Otacon immediately reached for their guns. They didn't need an explanation. If Snake dropped a beer or his cigarette, there was something that needed to be shot. The surrounding crowd was too enthralled in the game to notice the visible assault rifles thanks to Tidus' brutal moves.

"What are you doing?" Lulu demanded.

Kimahri growled, but he was ignored.

"No, not now! Put those away!" Snake said, gesturing at their weapons. "Look in the VIP box at 12 o'clock!"

Raiden pulled out his own pair of binoculars as Otacon squinted to get a better view. Raiden emitted a short scream once he spotted the figure in question.

"Oh, shit! It's Solidus! Where did I put my sniper rifle?"

"Great idea, Jacky boy. Fire off a gun in a crowd. Not only will we be spotted, but there's a good chance we'll get trampled to death if we try and escape!" Snake said.

"Snake, who's Solidus?" Yuna asked.

"He's bad news. Yuna, we might be in big trouble." Snake said as he watched the two men from afar.

"We as in everyone or we as in your personal trio?" Lulu asked. "You seem to differentiate between the two depending on the situation."

"We as in my personal trio." Snake said.

"Alright, then." Lulu confirmed, becoming more than a little suspicious. "Let us know if _we _can help."

"We've got it covered for now." Raiden assured her.

Lulu rolled her eyes. Yuna's attention was now on the VIP box. Tidus noticed this and knocked another player out of the sphere. When this didn't work, he became even more reckless and cost the team a point. Lulu motioned for him to back off for the time being. He became discouraged and continued playing as he normally would. Raiden dug through his bag and pulled out the directional microphone. It was normally a useless gadget that only got good during cutscenes, but he found himself very glad to have hung on to it as it finally had become quite important.

"Look what I have!" Raiden said enthusiastically.

"Good thinking. For once. Give me that piece of shit!" Snake demanded.

Snake snatched the directional microphone from Raiden and aimed it at Solidus. He was about to wonder why there was no sound until Raiden put the headphones on him.

". . .dufus looks exactly like someone I know." was what Snake initially caught Solidus saying.

He must have been referring to Tidus. Lulu leaned in to hear. Snake took off one of the headphones and motioned for her to use it. She put her head against his and listened to what was going on.

"Really?" Seymour asked, somewhat amused. "Who?"

"My surrogate son."

"I am sorry."

"Not as much as I am. He's in the set of pictures I gave to you. Make sure to watch out for him and the two idiots he's with. Don't kill them if you find them, they're mine. Aside from that, I assume you have made the necessary arrangements?"

"Yes. Everything has been taken care of exactly as you specified."

"So it begins. The plan will change our worlds forever. With that kind of power we could move an army back and forth between Earth and Spira. That's only the beginning! If we take it even further, there might even be other worlds we could access."

"I think it'd be safest to stick to the two we know." Seymour said. "It's hard to tell exactly what might happen if we go peeking into dimensions we don't belong in. Our partnership has undoubtedly stretched our luck far enough as it is."

"Yes, you're right. It's best to stick with the two planets we know are safe. Either way, all I want is to destroy the Patriots. With some of the goodies Spira has, I might finally be able to do that." Solidus said. "Are you still going to try and impress that woman?"

Seymour nodded silently.

"Count me out. I'm in no mood for cheap theatrics."

"Relax. There won't be any casualties. Hopefully. May I give you a piece of advice, Solidus?" Seymour asked.

"What is it?"

"I understand that you wish to use its power to take out those Patriots you won't stop ranting about. By the way you describe them, they don't seem entirely evil. In fact, I seem to recall something very similar happening in Spiran history around a thousand years ago. It might not be anything but useless lore, but it has been documented."

"Do not criticize my plan. The spirit of it is the same as yours; only mine is far less permanent and is for the good of the nation."

"Is it really? Can any good really come out of giving the people that much freedom?" Seymour mused, trying to instill a seed of doubt. "Well, I suppose if your minds made up, there is nothing I can say. As you said, our plans are almost parallel to each other. Just be careful because if you're not, Spira and Earth will be one in the same."

"Your counsel is most appreciated." Solidus said sarcastically.

He stood up, scowled at Tidus once more, and then left. Seymour remained where he was seated.

"What in the world?" Lulu exclaimed in complete disbelief.

"Snake, he's getting away!" Raiden shouted.

"So it would seem." Snake said.

"What are they planning?" Otacon asked.

"I somehow doubt it has anything to do with giving candy to orphans. While they were cryptic, there isn't that much to be talk about in the shadows while touring Spira unless it begins with a Z or S."

"Or in Tidus' case, a J." Otacon added.

Solid Snake turned to his right and tapped Kimahri on the shoulder, who had been watching them with interest since the whole scene began. He was not one for blitzball and it had left him so bored that watching a barbarian point his Listening Stick at someone was great entertainment.

"Something's going down. Right now. I think Yuna might be in danger. My squad and I have some unfinished business to take care of. If something goes wrong, we'll catch up with you guys later. You're going to be heading north, right?"

"Yes, along the Mi'ihen Highroad. It has a checkpoint you can't miss. We'll wait for you there if we get separated." Lulu said.

"Be careful, okay?" Snake asked.

"Same to you." Yuna said, nodding.

"Alright, men." Snake said, turning to the left and facing his buddies. "Do I need to say anything?"

"Solidus dies!" Raiden said.

"Nuclear proliferation!" Otacon added.

"I'll take that as a no." Snake consented. "Remember, get Yuna out of here as fast as you can!"

"What about Tidus?" Yuna asked.

"And Wakka?" Lulu said.

"Well, get them too!" Snake insisted. "You don't need me to hold your hand, do you? That's Raiden's job."

The group split up with Snake and company heading towards the exit closest to the VIP box and Yuna's entourage bolting for the nearest available outlet relevant to their position for maximum escape efficiency. For the time being, Snake chose to trot about unarmed because he didn't want to start a panic. Thankfully his teammates were led by example. The crowd went absolutely nuts when the horn blared, signaling the end of the game. The Aurochs had won by fourteen to five in what would become a legendary game in blitzball history. As the Aurochs did their victory dance inside the pool, they were interrupted by a swarm of winged Fiends appearing out of nowhere that began attacking them. Red gargoyles with hideous faces and blue wings began shooting balls of fire from their mouths into the sphere. They were apparently just that stupid. Snake clearly saw through this scenario. The attack had been planned. He wasn't sure how, but Seymour probably had an innate ability to attract these creatures. Not content with limiting themselves to assaulting the blitzball players alone, the Fiends entered the crowd and began terrorizing the unarmed spectators.

Ground based Fiends of all sorts of different types entered from outside and flooded the aisles. They had to have been planted somewhere. That was the only way they could have gotten in without anyone noticing. Soon fish people, shadowy apparitions that shrieked, and werewolves were causing an uproar in the stadium. Snake didn't allow himself to be distracted so easily and continued on his path to Solidus regardless of what was happening around him if he could avoid it. To his discontent, six flaming beings that looked like pimped out jack-o'-lanterns charged the exit Snake had planned to take. These foes obviously were there to cover Solidus' ass while he strolled through the empty hallways in search of the restrooms. They aimed for the walls near the available opening and latched on to them, growing bigger until they finally exploded. The entrance was blocked by the falling debris, effectively cutting them off from pursuing Solidus.

"Damn!" Snake cursed.

It looked as though there plan to eliminate Solidus had just been put on hold. They could theoretically try to take a different exit, but the swarming crowd and Fiends would be too thick to wade through. Solidus would have plenty of time to get ahead of them. Snake stood still and began searching the mess for Team Yuna with his binoculars as several people rushed past him. It didn't take long to find them because they were being attacked by a sizable number of foes. Three possessed tree stumps with vine arms, a ghoulish monstrosity, and a Wendigo were keeping Yuna and her friends from having a good time. Snake tried to find his personal teammates so he could issue some orders but couldn't.

"Sound off!" Snake shouted through the screams.

"Here!" Raiden called, raising his M-16 into the air.

"Present!" Otacon screamed, raising his AK-47 into the air.

The two rifles bobbed erratically as Otacon and Raiden were hit by the people running past them.

"Change in plans! We'll have to wait until later to get Solidus. For now, Yuna and the others need our help!"

The two men tilted their rifles back and forth in agreement as though they were nodding their heads. They then turned to the side and started sifting through the crowd towards Yuna, being sure to keep their rifles raised in the air so Snake would know where they were. In a society that dressed weird and didn't carry anything remotely similar to the weapons they had, Snake's men stuck out like sore thumbs.

"Keep those guns down!" Snake shouted.

They were too far away to hear him so their assault rifles remained where they were. A break in the crowd allowed him a clear shot at one of the Fiends Yuna's friends were struggling with. Snake crouched and threw his bag to the floor, fishing out an ACOG scope to be sure he wouldn't shoot someone by accident. He also fitted a silencer to the rifle to minimize the reaction the crowd would have once he started shooting and aimed at the Wendigo since the tree things were on fire and Yuna was relentlessly bashing the ghoul in the face with continuous blows from her staff. The Wendigo's fearsome deer head would spoil the mood of any living room it was placed in. That's all Snake could think of as he lined up the shot. Remnants of demonic animals, while truly a testament of the hunters skill, violated feng shui in every conceivable way. Kimahri was wrestling with its antlers, trying to snap its neck. The thing was about as strong as he was. Snake shot it three times in the head before it was subdued enough for Kimahri to kill it. While Yuna's squad had a chance to recuperate, Snake pressed in further. Two of the damnable pumpkin Fiends flew into the stadium. They made a beeline straight for Yuna. Snake shot at them and each time a bullet hit one of the beasts, it began to grow bigger like they had shortly before they exploded. Kimahri stood in front of Yuna, anticipating the explosion.

Lulu reacted by casting an ice spell. The fiery monsters immediately froze up and fell out of the sky like two bricks. They shattered on the concrete floor. The coast was momentarily clear. Snake finally reached them and provided cover as Yuna cured everyone. Otacon and Raiden eventually appeared alongside Snake as they fled the stadium.

"Where the hell were you two?" Snake demanded.

"Caught up in the current." Otacon replied.

A behemoth of a lizard crawled out the exit they were heading towards and blocked it with its enormous mass. Bullets didn't seem to do much against its skin, so Snake switched his M4 back to single burst and took out the creatures' eyes. They erupted painfully in two spurts of gore. It reacted instantly and flailed about blindly as green blood poured down from its broken sockets. The thing still had enough energy to charge them but was cut short after being killed from someone standing behind it. As its body evaporated into pyreflies, a man in a red trenchcoat became visible and removed a giant, bloody blade from its severed spine. He seemed to be in his mid forties and the grey streak across his black hair indicated a stylish attempt to hide this. It also looked like he was covering up an eye wound with a pair of highly fashionable shades.

"Is the summoner hurt?" he asked as he calmly put the blade over his shoulders.

"Sir Auron!" Wakka shouted.

"Aaron?" Snake said, puzzled.

"No, he said Auron." Lulu confirmed. "You're Auron?"

"I'm fine, Aaron." Yuna said, somewhat dazed after having to cast cure on everyone.

"Auron." he corrected, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Auron." she said. "It slipped."

"It's okay. Let's get out of here."

"No shit!" Snake yelled.

After finally making it into the corridors, they ran into Wakka and Tidus, who were on their way to the stadium to provide any assistance they could. Fiends were still running around, but they started ignoring Yuna's group and headed straight into the stadium as if drawn by something.

"Auron!" Tidus exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Is Yuna alright? How did the fiends get in?"

"Jesus kid, calm down before you hurt someone." Snake demanded. "Yuna's fine. She would have taken a nasty beating from one of those flaming onion pumpkin monsters, but Kimahri and Lulu prevented that."

"They're called Bombs." Auron said.

"Seriously?"

"Quite."

"That's ridiculous!" Snake said.

A loud roar coming from the arena got their attention. They looked inside and saw a massive creature killing Fiends with what appeared to be devastating optical blasts. The creature was incredibly hideous and bound painfully by chains. Seymour seemed to be controlling it. Snake grimaced. He was pretending to save everyone and nobody was any the wiser. If he could have afforded to shoot him right then and there, Snake would have decorated his little VIP box with shades of crimson red with his PSG-1. With no proof of him being a bad guy, killing Seymour would plunge Snake and his compatriots into deep trouble.

"What the hell is that thing?" Otacon asked.

"An extremely powerful Aeon." answered Auron.

"Seymour is certainly talented." Lulu said with a hint of distaste.

"I'll say. A gimp Aeon really suits him. He's the fucker that started all this!" Snake exclaimed.

His companions from Spira all gasped in complete shock.

"Are you certain?" Yuna asked, completely shocked. "Think of what you're implying before you respond. Are you absolutely certain of what you just said?"

"Only beyond a shadow of a doubt! Lulu, you heard what he said."

"I did." Lulu said. "But I can't believe it. Why would he do this to impress Yuna?"

"Aren't flowers enough?" Snake added.

"This was done to impress me?" Yuna asked in complete shock.

"Couldn't you tell?" Auron said. "Look at him up there. He probably expects us to come visit him."

"To hell with that."

"What are we going to do?" Lulu asked Snake, at a complete loss.

"There's nothing we can do yet. Seymour is too powerful. We'll have to act nice if we're ever around him. Raiden, you're in charge of talking to him unless he addresses me directly in which case you're still in charge of talking to him."

"Why?" Raiden asked.

"Because I don't play nice with garbage like that. I'll punch his teeth so far down his throat that he'll bite his own ass!" Snake said. "Remember, he's looking for us. Don't let your guard down around him."

"And wherever he is, Solidus probably won't be far behind." Otacon pointed out.

"That's true." Raiden said.

"I think it would be best to leave now given what has been revealed." Auron said.

"You've got that right!" Snake said as he lit up a smoke. "Son of a bitch, all that killing and backstabbing has made me thirsty! You people go do what you want, I'm gonna drink this out of my system at the first bar I see!"

"But wouldn't getting drunk only add to the problem?" Lulu asked.

"Go stick needles in your dolls, I'm in a rage!" Snake exclaimed.

"Here, here!" Tidus agreed.

"I suppose I'm following you, then." Auron said, facing Snake. "I've got to meet someone at the bar they have here."

"We should probably stick together." Yuna said. "We'll come with you."

"Good, because I don't have any money." Snake said.


	9. Chapter 8 : Bar Fight

**Chapter 8 : Bar Fight.**

There was only one bar in Luca. Apparently if too many people gathered in one spot, it attracted Sin. This made for smaller cities and fewer things to do in them. Luckily for Snake, there wasn't a need for a second bar as the first one was good enough. He sat in a bar stool along the counter with Otacon nursing an entire bottle of something that tasted like Scotch whisky. Snake occasionally stopped drinking long enough to smoke the cigarette he had out. While switching between the two, he found himself waiting for Raiden to come out of the bathroom. He'd had a little too much to drink and Snake was actually somewhat concerned that he might have poisoned himself. Alcohol in Spira was a lot more powerful than the stuff they had on Earth. While Snake usually required about four glasses of Scotch to send him over the edge he was almost there at the start of his second. His impaired senses made it hard for him to do anything else aside from brooding silently with himself while Otacon enjoyed a milkshake and drew a picture of Ayane from Dead or Alive in his notebook.

It took a while for everyone else to arrive. Tidus and Yuna were out somewhere together again. They had slipped passed everyone for another round of alone time. Security had been upped around the town in light of what had happened. They would probably be a lot safer. Auron was sitting and drinking alone in a booth seat in a corner with his front facing the entrance. He was clearly waiting on somebody. Snake heard the sound of a noisy motorcycle pulling up alongside the bar and felt his heart sink. If Spira had vehicles, that probably meant they had oil. Somehow that didn't seem possible to him. Hopefully they would learn to conserve it early and invest in alternative energy. Snake heard the bells on the entrance ding and turned to spot a man he hadn't seen in quite a while. Cloud Strife stood in the doorway for a moment, spotted Auron, and went over to him. Snake rubbed his eyes and looked again to make sure the booze wasn't playing tricks on him. It was indeed Cloud. Nobody else he knew wore their hair like he did or treated it with conditioner so thoroughly.

Cloud was carrying a sword across his back. The design was quite elaborate and featured a revolver cylinder near the hilt. Apparently it was perfectly acceptable to walk around armed so long as one had a legal reason to do so. Snake tossed his M1911 on the counter to fit in. The bartender stopped cleaning her glass long enough to look at it before resuming her job. Auron and Cloud began talking over certain matters in hushed tones even though the bar was fairly noisy. There were a few glances made towards Snake, who was more concerned with staring down his drink. As he sat there wondering what the deal was between them, Raiden emerged from the women's bathroom and took the seat he had claimed next to Snake.

"Water." Raiden asked the barkeep. "Lot's of it."

He was handed a pint of purified spring water, which washed out most of the pain in his throat and put something less acidic into his stomach so if he hurled again, it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Jesus, that's the best water I have ever drank. Hey, Snake." Raiden said. "I heard something interesting about Auron while I was busy."

"More interesting then how you got away with being in the women's room at a bar?"

"Quite. Auron is the only guardian that survived during Lord Braska's pilgrimage and Braska was Yuna's father! He defeated Sin ten years ago."

"Who told you this?"

"I heard it from a reliable source."

"Gossiping women?"

"Sort of."

"You're really drunk, aren't you? We already know all that, you idiot. Enjoy your pint of water."

Snake finished off his glass, which was still quite full, in a few gulps to exert his manliness over Raiden. Lulu gasped audibly as she watched him from her seat with a few members of the other group. He smiled at Lulu and poured himself another glass of the same liquor. It didn't matter to him that his body was becoming progressively number. He'd learned to ignore that.

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep drinking like that." Lulu said.

"Good thing we've got plenty of Phoenix Down's, ya?" Wakka said. "At least he can hold his liquor better than that other one."

"You keep those chicken feathers away from me." Snake said.

"Hey, I also heard something else." Raiden said, tugging on Snake's arm for attention. "We're heading directly towards that operation Lulu mentioned earlier."

"The one where the people are going to try and kill Sin?"

"Yeah. They're going to bait it in and everything. They've got all this fancy equipment already set up. It should be quite a show! Maybe our mission is just about over."

"Doubt it." Snake said.

"Yeah? Well, I doubt you're anything but a pessimist!"

"I'm never drinking with you again, Jack."

Raiden shrugged and continued diluting the alcohol in his system with water so he could have some more booze. Snake sighed and nudged Otacon with his elbow. He stopped making Ayane's proportions anatomically correct by lowering her cup size to a healthy B and put his attention on Snake.

"Did you see Auron's date?" Snake asked.

"Auron has a girl?"

"Take a look. Try not to freak out."

Otacon looked over at Auron. His eyes almost bulged out and he made a funny gagging noise before hunching over the counter and pushing up his glasses.

"Is that. . ." he trailed off, unable to finish.

"Yes, it is."

"But he's not supposed to be here."

"We're not supposed to be here. I feel as though we're screwing with something that would have taken a completely different path without our intervention. Look on the bright side. If he's here, then there's some hope for us."

"So there really is a way for us to get home?"

Snake nodded.

"Wait a minute." Otacon said. "You don't think Spira has a gate, do you?"

"Well, I haven't seen any moonstones." Snake said. "I'm in no mood to worry about it right now. Get back to Ayane. Just so you know, her hips are a little big, but she almost looks like a real women the way you draw her."

"I wish I knew that from as much experience as you have." Otacon mumbled.

Tidus suddenly burst into the pub laughing his ass off with Yuna. They were both a little tipsy and that was being a bit too modest. Tidus could barely manage to stand. Yuna was his support and she was struggling under his weight and the fact that standing had also become difficult for her.

"I told you we'd win!" Tidus proclaimed.

"That's nice. Let's go sit down now." Yuna said.

He staggered further into the pub toward the booth next to Wakka and the others brandishing a bottle of strong Al-Bhed liqueur. Raiden had been drinking the same thing earlier. That stuff was no joke. Snake had tried it before reverting to Scotch because it was a drink of bottomless proportions. According to the bartender, it was sixty proof. Snake could barely taste the alcohol in it. Everything had been blended together so nicely that he could just keep drinking it until it made him throw up. It was also incredibly expensive, but like everything else they had gotten it for free. He decided to give it a try a little later when he was ready to make a mistake he might wind up regretting.

Tidus and Yuna fell into the booth they were aiming for. He took a drink from the bottle and offered it to Yuna, who passed. It was clear that she had already tried some. Snake wondered if this would smudge Yuna's reputation. The people in the bar were already more than a little leery. Everyone tried to keep their eyes off of Yuna, but some didn't have as much strength as others. Snake was not pleased. The glass he was holding shattered as his grip tightened. He then reached for the nearest thing and began squeezing it.

"You've got my fingers! Those are my fingers!" Raiden said.

He let go seconds before breaking three of them. Raiden grabbed his own hand and fell over to the side. Seeing Yuna drunk like that made Snake more than a little upset. Why Tidus had gotten her drunk could have been for more than one reason and in order to prevent himself from hurting the man, Snake chose to believe his intentions weren't entirely that low. Even so, she was still in a position where she could be taken advantage of rather easily. Auron stood up from his seat and walked over to them. Snake joined him. Cloud watched, clearly interested.

"Enjoying yourself?" Snake asked Tidus with a snide grin.

"Don't be too angry." Lulu replied. "It's actually not too much of a disgrace to see a summoner drunk."

She leaned forward.

"When they're not in their robes." Lulu said to Yuna.

"I've had less than him." Yuna said. "I underestimated how powerful the drink was because I couldn't taste the alcohol. At least I can still carry myself potpourri."

"Properly?" Wakka offered.

"That word." Yuna said, snapping her fingers in confirmation.

"Looks like you're becoming your father, Tidus." Auron said. "Give up the bottle."

Tidus handed him the glass bottle and Auron examined it.

"Great. Al-Bhed hooch juice. Do you know that some people are actually afraid of this drink?"

He didn't respond.

"I know you're a little upset given what we discussed earlier." Auron said. "But you didn't have to get Yuna drunk with you."

"It's okay. I wanted to drink it."

"Yuna, you don't like booze." Wakka said.

"I know, but this stuff tastes a lot different. Besides, I thought it would make Tidus feel better if I had a little while we were at lunch."

"What have we learned?" Lulu muttered.

"What's his problem?" Snake asked.

"I'm not sure. He won't talk about it."

"Is it because he sold his father's sword?" Wakka thought aloud. "I told you that was a bad idea, ya?"

"You what?" Auron roared.

Wakka gasped and covered up his mouth.

"You weren't supposed to say anything, you blabbermouth!" Tidus shouted.

Tidus looked up at Auron in absolute fear. He tried to bolt from his seat but Auron was much faster. Auron grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hurled him back into the booth, throwing him so hard that he bounced. He then blocked Tidus' exit. Tidus scrambled to find something he could defend himself with, but he only came up with a spork and five napkins.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad." Auron said, although anyone could tell that he was. "You shouldn't have tried to avoid responsibility."

"Wakka gave me a better one." Tidus said. "Jecht's sword was generic. It had no room for customization or improvement."

"But he made it work."

"Imagine that! Perhaps he should have applied himself as much to his family."

Auron cleared his throat.

"What really gets me is the fact that you sold it. You're a Guardian. Everything is free. Why did you sell it?"

"To find out if it was actually worth anything."

"Who did you sell it to?"

"Me." Cloud answered. "If you want the sword back, I can give it to you. If I had known that the sword belonged to his father, I wouldn't have bought it from him."

"No, you can go ahead and keep it." Auron said. "Besides, it's Tidus' decision."

"We need to get you to an inn so you can freshen up." Lulu said to Tidus. "You reek of alcohol."

"Plus we'll have to wait for the booze to get out of Yuna's system." Wakka said. "No sense running around with a summoner who can't summon."

"She can't summon when she's drunk?" Snake asked.

"It takes that little dance every time, ya?" Wakka replied. "I don't know about you, but I think we'd be a lot safer if Yuna cleared her head a little."

"Can't she just heal herself?"

"That hooch juice is really potent." Auron said. "She should drink a potion and wait thirty minutes."

"Yes, we should do that. We've got enough time for it." Yuna said eagerly.

"Well, let's go find a temporary room in that nice inn across the street." Lulu said. "Are you coming, Snake?"

"I'll meet you guys later. I've got booze to finish."

"How come he can drink and I can't?" Tidus demanded.

"It's not that you can't drink." Lulu said. "It's that you shouldn't have encouraged Yuna to do so while she was in her robes."

"So if she was dressed like everyone else it'd be alright?" Tidus asked.

"Yes. Like it or not, that's what the culture dictates. We should at least be glad she isn't belligerent. Imagine what would happen if Dona saw her like this." Lulu replied.

"Yuna is a symbol of hope when she's in her robes. She's on official summoner duty, ya? Sure, she can take them off at an inn if it's too hot outside and knock back a glass or two, but as long as she's in those robes she's an icon, ya?" Wakka explained further. "You gotta think about these things."

"They're such little things." Tidus complained. "I'm sorry, though. I feel bad."

"Good. That means you're honest." Lulu said. "Luckily for you, Yuna's popularity will ensure that this never happened."

Lulu and Wakka exited the booth seat after leaving a small tip for the meals they ate. Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri followed them. Tidus had to lean on Kimahri for support. Kimahri kept one hand on Yuna's back to steady her as she walked. He almost looked like a father. It was absurd. Snake's team and Auron remained in the bar.

"Snake." Cloud called before Snake could sit down again. "Have a seat."

Snake looked over at Cloud, who beckoned him to come join him. He looked to Auron, who nodded. Snake retrieved his M1911 from the counter before heading back to Cloud with Auron while Raiden and Otacon remained at the bar counter. Auron sat down first.

"Solid Snake." Cloud began. "The legendary soldier. Still going strong after all these years."

"Cloud Strife." Snake said. "My favorite alien. Still an avid blade collector."

They shook hands.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Cloud said. "I'd never expect to find you in a place like this with such interesting companions."

"I know. Epic quests are more your field. I'm usually behind the scenes, but not this time."

"How did you even get here?"

"I got roped into this by some divine being who thought I'd be an indispensable asset."

"So it's not an official mission of some sort?" Cloud asked.

"Nope."

"Imagine that."

"Yeah, you know how it is. You don't look like you're here on official business either. I see you still travel alone."

"I took one other partner along for this errand. He's just not here right now."

"Errand?"

"It's nothing quite as grand as what you're doing, I assure you. While you're traveling with a summoner and Auron, I get to go on a fetch quest."

"For what?"

"Nothing much. Just business. I've got my own worries, as do you. For the time being we should probably keep it that way."

"Can't tell the grunts, huh? Fine then."

Snake pulled out a cigarette and began smoking.

"Where's the gate?" he asked.

At that moment Snake noticed something flicker by the plants situated at the entrance of the bar as it moved into the sunlight. The texture was that of someone wearing a stealth camouflage clip.

"Hold that thought." Snake requested.

Snake immediately suspected it was one of Solidus' goons and equipped his M1911 and proceeded to empty an entire clip into the person. Whatever he had hit let out an inhuman growl and became visible. A Predator stood before him. How was unimportant, although he assumed it might have something to do with Solidus or Cloud's secret gate travel methods. The tenants began screaming.

"Not again." Cloud said as he put on his sunglasses.

The group scattered with Snake rolling over the bar counter and taking refuge underneath it with Raiden and Otacon as the Predator fired a rocket blast from its shoulder canon, which obliterated everything behind Snake. Gallons and gallons of precious alcohol spilled to the floor, completely wasted. Three other creatures made themselves visible throughout various parts of the bar. One had been hiding on the ceiling, the other under the floorboards, and the final one in the women's bathroom. Four of them now stood in the room and prepared to fight their prey. The three men who carried swords immediately went for them. In a very interesting display, the three Predator's reached for their own blades and fought against them fairly with weapons of equal strength.

The one Snake had pissed off was still using ballistics, so he quickly took a chaff grenade out of his bag and pulled the pin.

"Eat this, pussy face!" Snake yelled as he threw it up and over the counter.

It exploded and disabled the Predator's electronics. While it struggled to get them to work again, Snake formed an L with his index and forefinger as he reached for a clip in his bag, making sure to grasp it correctly to perform his intended action. After reloading, he was easily able to fire at his target again after having kept track of it with his fingers. This time it barely reacted to his bullets and tossed a sharp shuriken-like object directly into his shoulder in retaliation. Snake cried out in pain and took cover once again as the Predator closed in on its wounded prey. As it was about to jump over the counter, Snake popped up once again with his shotgun that he had quickly loaded some incendiary rounds into. One shot to the head of the Predator guaranteed that it died immediately as white phosphorous ate away at what was left of its face. Snake pulled the object that had embedded itself into his skin and tossed it back at the thing.

Meanwhile, Auron had already dispatched his opponent and was helping Raiden kill the one he was supposed to take care of. Cloud was fiercely engaged with what had to be a veteran hunter until he finally could get a slice in. He pulled the trigger as the gun cut across the creature's chest, blowing a hole through its heart and thereby causing its demise. Auron cut the head off the one that was giving Raiden a hard time. Raiden gave Auron a hi-five and then began dancing on the corpse of the Predator even though he hadn't really killed it. Snake took a bottle of whiskey and poured it over his open wound, biting back a scream and preparing to patch it. Cloud quickly came over to him and took his hands away from the injury.

"I can heal it for you." Cloud offered.

"No, thanks. I don't like magic." Snake said.

"It probably hit you with a poison that will paralyze you after you take ten steps. Do you need to use your legs this evening?"

"Well, why didn't you say so? Have at it."

Cloud cast Remedy and Curaga on Snake. The wound reacted instantly. Bad blood spilled out from it as the skin began to close over the opening and regain its healthy color.

"Cloud?" Snake called as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. "Were those bastards after you or me?"

"Probably me." Cloud replied.

He jumped over the counter and reached into his pocket, pulling out a bag full of money and leaving it on the bloody surface that had once been polished to a mirror sheen. Cloud saw the barkeep crawl out from under her hiding spot and put on his sunglasses before addressing her.

"This is for the damage." he said, tapping the brown bag.

She nodded and gave him the Yevon salute. Cloud turned to Snake.

"I'd better get going and see if there's anyone else following me."

"What could you possibly be looking for?" Snake asked.

"If you only knew." Cloud said with a grin. "You wouldn't even like it, trust me."

"And the gate?"

"You're heading right for it. I'll help you find it when you're done with Sin. For now, I've got to get back to my job. You should stay focused on yours right now as well. Adios."

Cloud gave him a slight wave before leaving. Snake heard Cloud's noisy motorcycle starting up and roaring away into the distance as he stood wondering what Cloud was after. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty valuable if he had Predators pissed at him. It bothered Snake that he was in the dark yet again. However, it didn't seem like their problems had anything to do with his, so at least that much was reassuring and offered a pleasant change from his usual interactions with people that knew more than he did. Snake looked down at a dead Predator for a moment before his eyes got bigger.

"Damn!" Snake cursed.

He dropped down to his knees and shot the creature in the face once with his handgun to ensure that it was dead before playing around with its arm. Snake found the wrist nuke almost immediately and almost shit his pants when he accidentally flipped it open while trying to take it off. He had read the report about these things. Every Predator had one. If ever their life was threatened, they blew themselves up to keep the technology they used to themselves. The amount of damage their wrist nukes could cause was extensive. Snake noticed that the make and model was a little different on the veteran hunter. It was heavier and probably carried a bigger payload. Snake burst out of the bar and looked around for Cloud, tearing himself apart verbally for not getting his phone number. The next time they met, he'd have to hand the nukes over to him. Spira didn't need them.

Snake bagged the four wrist nukes as his companions exited the bar. He could clearly see the inn at the end of the street and began walking towards it with the three other men.

"All that over a dead man's sword." Snake muttered. "What a day."

"Depends on what you mean by dead." Auron replied cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me he never really died and lived on as a sort of cosmically empowered spiritual being, or something to that effect."

Auron stopped short of the entrance to the inn so that Snake's teammates entered first. Snake stayed outside and waited expectantly for Auron to reply.

"He's Sin." Auron said.

"Oh, shit." Snake cursed.

"Yes, that's pretty much what I had to say about it."

"Did you tell Tidus?"

"That I did. It's best for him to know."

"No wonder he hit the bottle."

"Do me a favor and keep that bit of information to yourself. Things are bad enough as they are right now. They don't need to get any worse."

Snake sighed and realized that the journey might become even more complicated from this point forward.


	10. Chapter 9 : Under the Waterfall

**Chapter 9 : Under the Waterfall.**

The sun beat down on the party as they trekked along the Mi'ihen Highroad. Ruins of odd structures decorated the otherwise heavily worn path that cut straight across a wide expanse of rolling hills. It never seemed to end and everyone was becoming quite exhausted as the Fiends were more common in this area. They were positively relentless. When they were about to reach a breaking point, Yuna took action. She summoned the rainbow bird. It let loose an attack that caused a rampaging tornado that lifted every Fiend in the area about one hundred feet in the air and then dropped them like flies to the ground below. An assortment of items, plants, rocks, and upturned soil fell from the sky like rain. Snake and Kimahri got a good laugh at every sick crunch they heard as Fiends face planted into the ground and had their necks broken. After waiting five minutes for the organic hail to subside, the team continued onward. Rainbow bird, who was called Valefor by everyone but Snake, apparently could only unleash such a ferocious attack once a day without encouragement. Fiends stopped attacking them for about an hour after that and when they did start appearing again they were in much smaller groups.

When night finally fell, they found it hard to secure a safe area to camp. At this rate they would be up all night. Tidus was confused. It didn't even look like they wanted to camp.

"How much longer until we reach that Djose temple?" Tidus asked.

"Much longer." Auron replied with a grin.

"There's no checkpoint?" Snake asked.

"There is. Early in Spiran history, it became necessary to build checkpoints along the road to aid the summoners." Lulu explain. "It's not possible to keep an Aeon out all night, so summoners instead trust the checkpoints to protect them for the evening."

"Are they owned by the temple?" Otacon asked.

"No. They're owned by the Al-Bhed."

"How scandalous." Snake muttered.

"They employ perimeter protection using technology ordained by Yevon, so there's nothing scandalous about it." Wakka interjected.

"Awesome. So how much longer until we reach the checkpoint?" Tidus asked.

"Much longer." Lulu replied with a grin. "We probably should have started earlier."

Tidus groaned in exasperation. A few minutes later they passed a large bush that rustled violently as something crawled out of it. Everyone knew that this was what usually preceded a fight so they armed themselves in anticipation for the attack. A small creature not more than three feet high slowly crawled out of the bush carrying a dirty lantern. Its eyes were two orange beads protruding from a lizard like body clothed in an old brown cloak. The creature held a very sharp Chef's knife in its other hand and smelled like it had been spelunking a cave for the better half of six months without stopping to bathe. Snake couldn't help but burst out laughing after seeing this pitiful looking Fiend.

"Get a load of this joker, Auron!"

Auron's face was a white mask of shock and his mouth was open in a silent scream. Snake didn't have to be told that this was very bad news indeed. Even Kimahri looked like he was having second thoughts about attacking this peculiar critter outright.

"What's it doing so far away from its natural habitat?" Auron asked himself.

"This thing is deadly?" Raiden said.

Raiden pushed his way past everyone and stood in front of the Fiend, who slowly looked up at him. Everything this creature did seemed to be performed at a languid pace. Snake would have grabbed the idiot by his hair and hauled him back, but he figured it would be more beneficial to Raiden if he learned from whatever mistake he was about to make. Raiden nudged at the lantern totting oddity with his foot.

"Look at how slow it is." Raiden said. "How can it possibly be a threat?"

The yellow light in the lamp suddenly turned blue, which finally indicated to Raiden that something wasn't right about this creature. It began attacking Raiden with such speed that all they saw was a blue light flailing every which way. Raiden cried out in pain as he was stabbed repeatedly by the beast. When Snake used to live in the city before running to his cabin in Alaska, he once went out for a walk because it was so nice outside. He passed an alleyway where four cats were fighting each other rather viciously. The sound they made was somewhat similar to the noise this thing did.

"It's a Tonberry." Auron said to Snake. "And I think your friend is dead."

"But not like perma-dead, right? Still revivable?"

"Maybe." Auron replied, his mind on other matters.

Raiden collapsed to the ground, covered in blood and stab wounds. He'd bleed out if they couldn't get to him in time. So long as he was dead for less than thirty minutes the Phoenix Down's would still work on him if his injuries were not too severe, which didn't appear to be the case. The magical feathers plucked from a rare bird temporarily increased adrenaline and the bodies ability to heal itself. It did this on such a large scale that the recently deceased could be revived. More often than not, they were used to bring back a traveler who had fallen to a Fiend. Normally this was done by a white mage or someone carrying potions because the Phoenix Down's were not enough to take the pain away themselves.

The Tonberry's lantern turned yellow as the creature began to slowly advance toward them once again. Wakka threw his ball at it, but the Tonberry jabbed his knife into the rubber, deflating it and most of Wakka's spirit. Lulu hid her dolls. Snake shot at it with his M4 only to watch the Tonberry quickly dodge the bullets and continue marching forward as if nothing had happened. If it moved that fast, there couldn't be any way around it. He still shot at it anyway to impede its progress as everyone else started to retreat.

"Bullets aren't working!" Otacon yelled as he took potshots at it from behind a boulder. "Magic time somebody please!"

"For God's sake Yuna, will you summon something already? This foe is beyond all of us!" Snake demanded.

The team scrambled and began looking around for Yuna, who was nowhere to be seen.

"She's not here!" Otacon shouted.

"Not here?" Snake roared. "What do you mean she's not here? She didn't just fucking disappear! Where is she?"

"Tidus, go find Yuna!" Auron demanded as he launched himself at the Fiend.

"He's not here either! He probably already went to go look for her!" Lulu exclaimed.

Kimahri raised his forefinger in front of his face while looking at Snake. The look in the Ronso's eyes suggested that he understood and accepted the fact that Snake didn't like magic, but desperate times called for desperate measures. In a flash, everything about Snake sped up as the world around him slowed down. Auron was swinging his sword at the creature as though he were trying to break through a wall of molasses. The Tonberry launched itself at his face. Lulu's mouth was moving slowly as she said something Snake couldn't understand. Snake waved his hand and found that he was moving as he normally would, which happened to be about ten times faster than what anyone else could manage at the moment.

"Alright!" Snake exclaimed.

He took some C4 out of his bag and trotted over to the Tonberry. It moved a little faster than everyone else since it was attacking, but it wasn't anything he couldn't manage. He pried it off of Auron's face and sat it down on the ground. Snake took the little lantern out of its hand and replaced it with brick of explosive clay he molded into a butterfly and ensured would remain stuck to the beasts mutated limb with two layers of duct tape. He then picked up Auron in an incredibly awkward position and hauled the man away to safety while Kimahri cast another spell to neutralize the one he had just put on Snake. Before the world resumed its normal pace, Snake had enough time to light a cigarette after setting Auron down. The Tonberry cried out in unbridled fury as it tried to scrape the clay off of its limb with its bloody knife. Snake grinned and flicked the detonation switch, blowing the Tonberry completely apart. Everyone cheered in victory.

"Damn, Kimahri. You're awesome!" Snake exclaimed. "It was your quick thinking that saved the day."

"Pun intended, right?" Lulu asked.

"Hell yes, pun intended!"

The Ronso couldn't help but smirk slightly and nod his head in acceptance of his key role in the battle. Snake gave the blue beast a hearty pat on the back while the moment was still fresh. Their excitement quickly turned into aggravation when they realized that Tidus hadn't come back with Yuna yet. He was still looking for her and gradually increased his effort upon hearing the explosives Snake had used against the Tonberry while it was still alive. After he was sure he had gotten himself lost, he finally found footprints on some softer soil. Yuna's boots left unmistakable imprints. At least he hoped they belonged to her. He didn't have anything else to go on and the tracks were fresh, so he followed them down a forgotten path of the Mi'ihen Highroad. The vegetation became thick with dense overgrowth and the moon no longer provided him with adequate lighting. It didn't take him long to trip over an exposed tree root and go crashing headfirst through a rotting log.

Tidus remained on the ground for a moment, fighting the urge to pass out. He could feel something wrong with him and slowly began to panic until the sensation subsided. His head felt light and the world was murky as he took a few steps forward. Eventually his senses returned to normal, although he promised himself to have that wound looked at later.

"What brought her all this way?" Tidus whispered to himself.

He suddenly felt a presence approaching him from behind. Tidus whirled around with his blade drawn and stopped inches away from slicing Yuna's throat open. She had a gun out rather than her staff, which suggested to Tidus that she might have run into trouble while she was exploring this area on her own.

"Geez, you scared me." Tidus said as he lowered his blade. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. I should have said something."

"What were you doing down here and where did you get that gun?"

"I heard a voice calling my name. It sounded like my father. I know he's dead, but I couldn't help but be hypnotized by it. I was lead to a large burrow where the most hideous thing I have ever seen tried to attack me. This gun Snake loaned me saved my life, although I've shot all but half of one clip out of the seven he gave me."

"So you killed a Fiend?"

"A Fiend that kills others by leading them to it with voices from its victims past. There were so many skeletons down there. I couldn't see them until after I had disposed of it. I performed a Sending, but most of the souls had been dead for so long that they had already been turned into Fiends."

"Well, at least you can say you're capable of taking care of yourself." Tidus said. "Still, you'd better not run out on us like that again. I think Snake would have a heart attack if you did."

Yuna holstered her USP somewhat freely around Tidus, who smiled like a fool and almost salivated when he got a glimpse at her thighs.

"I found something down here I'd like to show you." Yuna said.

"Okay. But we'd better hurry back after we're finished." Tidus said.

After a few minutes walk, they came to a large lake with a massive number of pyreflies floating in and around it. There was a waterfall at the back. The water was impossibly clear, as usual. Tidus crouched down for a closer look. He could see clear to the bottom. No fish swam in these waters.

"I believe that this is a healing spring. I've read about them in books, but they're not supposed to exist." Yuna said.

"You can't believe everything people tell you." Tidus said.

"True enough."

Tidus watched Yuna walk towards the edge of the water, taking off her shoes as she walked over.

"Whoa, wait a second. You're going to swim in it? Why the sudden urge?" Tidus asked.

"It has been said that the water cleanses one's mind while improving their spirit." Yuna explained, her tone barely able to conceal the fact that she was hiding some distressing worry. "I would hate to pass up an opportunity like this. Whether that is true or not, I cannot say. But sometimes our beliefs shape our realities."

"Geez, Yuna. You're depressed!" Tidus exclaimed. "Go ahead and swim, though. I'll go patrol while you're busy."

"I'd like you to come with me." Yuna beckoned.

"I really think we should get the others first." Tidus said. "They're worried about you!"

"Come."

Her eyes went right through him, putting him in some sort of trance. She was that beautiful. There had been many women in his life due to his profession, but none were quite as grand as she was. He desired her for more than her body, which meant he'd lose a sizable bet he'd made with a friend back in the real Zanarkand. Despite his high opinion of himself, Tidus didn't think he had that in him. The others could wait. He was capable of protecting her himself. The closer he got to her, the better.

"Alright." Tidus said. "I can patrol from the water."

She smiled. The two disrobed to their most basic undergarments and entered the water. What Yuna had said held some truth to it. While the water was somewhat on the chilly side, it had an immediate effect on him as the two began swimming together, caught in the moment and the beauty of their surroundings. Without warning, the pyreflies in the scene began enveloping them in a protective but transparent shell. Tidus examined these creatures a little harder and discovered that they weren't correct. Something was off about them.

"What's going on?" Tidus asked.

"Nothing." she replied innocently.

She grabbed him forcefully by the head and kissed him. Tidus reacted by gagging. Her mouth tasted like the Earth. This was quite unusual. His senses dulled. It became evident far too late that he'd wandered into some type of trap.

"Tidus!" he heard Snake scream. "Get away from that thing!"

He shoved it away. The eyes of Yuna's imposter were black. It had sprouted horns and a very unattractive set of razor sharp teeth. Tidus grinned and laughed nervously, admiring how easily the creature had taken advantage of him. It let out an inhuman growl as it slowly began changing into what it really was and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, which was becoming quite a popular spot. The monster hauled his ass away from the blurry figures coming to his rescue. He was dragged behind the waterfall into a den full of skeletons.

"Oh, I get it. You were talking about yourself earlier." Tidus mumbled, somewhat amused.

"Shut up!" the beast bellowed.

The last thing he could remember was reaching out to his companions as whatever had been posing as Yuna breathed heavily and attempted to get away from them.

**X**

"That should wake him up." Yuna said.

Tidus' eyes opened and took a minute to regain focus. He was lying in a bed in a very nice room. Daylight filtered through an open window as a nice breeze scented the comfortable chamber. Snake was sitting in a chair nearby with Raiden, Auron and Lulu all watching over him. Tidus sat up in the bed and rubbed at his eyes.

"How was that nap? Too bad you were sleeping alone, eh?" Snake joked.

"What happened?" Tidus asked.

"You were attacked by a succubus." Lulu said. "Such creatures are prone to taking up vacancy next to hidden springs or in other shadowy corners of the landscape. They are sufficiently rare, much like that Tonberry we fought."

"I went to go look for Yuna." Tidus said. "Where did she run off to?"

"I was going to try and get the jump on the Tonberry since I couldn't summon Valefor." Yuna said. "I demanded too much of him earlier. We all paid the price for that."

"Could you have really killed it yourself?" Snake asked.

"Yes." Yuna replied confidently. "Perhaps I should have used Kimahri's tactic instead."

"No, it's fine." Tidus said. "What did that thing do to me?"

"That breed takes energy out of you." Lulu said. "After that, it kills and eats you."

"How long was I out?"

"About a day. You were poisoned when that creature kissed you." Lulu replied. "It took us a few more hours to reach this checkpoint. Kimahri carried you the whole way. Yuna made sure to keep your condition stable. The poison that Fiend put in you is hard to remove since it integrates with the body so closely."

Snake's head jerked up sharply. He blinked several times and then turned away. Something about what Yuna had just said bothered him, but Tidus obviously didn't know why it would.

"I'm sorry I got myself caught." Tidus said. "I should have been there helping you guys fight that creature."

"We backed it into a corner and blew it up." Snake said. "No problem."

"If nobody would mind, I'd like a moment alone with Tidus." Yuna said.

"Of course." Lulu said with a nod.

They all got up and left the room. Yuna took Snake's chair and set it closer to the bed.

"One neat thing about the Fiend that attacked you is that it tries to seduce you by becoming the person you desire the most." Yuna said.

"Hey, I don't think of you like that." Tidus said, immediately knowing where their conversation was headed.

"You can't think about me like that." Yuna said.

Tidus scoffed, completely bewildered.

"What? Do you already have a boyfriend? I knew it!"

"No, I don't. I just. . ." Yuna said. "You can't think about me like that. You're my Guardian and you can't be anything more."

"Why not?" Tidus demanded.

"Because." Yuna replied, heavily saddened. "I'm sorry if I confused you."

"But don't you like me?" Tidus asked. "I didn't think you were the kind of woman that would play around with a guy like that and just smile and shake your head when he got too close."

"I. . ." Yuna began, unable to finish.

"The truth is, I like you." Tidus said. "I'm lost and far from home. Everyone seems to idolize Jecht because he risked it all and helped Braska out. That doesn't sound like the Jecht I know because the one I know, my father, never cared for anyone but himself and wouldn't stick his neck out that far to help someone. Everything I know is wrong. The only people I can even hope to trust are those I'm traveling with. With that having been said, it should come as no surprise that I've found myself attracted to who I deem to be the nicest member in a group of strangers."

Yuna sighed and was fighting back tears.

"I don't want you to be angry." Yuna said. "Forget I said anything."

She stood up and left the room in a suffocating torrent of strong emotions, leaving a bewildered Tidus alone in a room suddenly devoid of any comfort.


	11. Chapter 10 : Young Love

**Chapter 10 : Young Love.**

Tidus' full recovery was stalled by his frustration. He stared at the ceiling for a few hours lost in his thoughts. Everything he had been told was suddenly coming to a head, including the fact that Sin was actually his father. Auron hadn't been too clear on that, but there wasn't any reason for him not to trust the man. That almost broke Tidus' spirit on the spot. He was only able to shrug it off with some alcohol. Tidus didn't want anything to do with Jecht. As far as he considered it, they weren't father and son. They were strangers. There wasn't any possibility of patching up their troubled relationship. Despite that, it seemed like he was destined to fight Jecht to the death. He hated his father, but he never once thought of killing him. Tidus didn't want anything to do with him. It simply was not fair. He hated using those terms to describe his feelings.

On top of that, he upset everyone by sharing a bottle of booze with Yuna. He should have known something was wrong when she looked around to see if anyone was watching her when she poured herself a very small amount of the liqueur. She probably had less than two shots. Being a woman, she was naturally weaker against the power of alcohol. That deviously delicious Al-Bhed hooch juice was no ordinary type of booze. Now he understood why she had three servings of vanilla ice cream. She was trying to knock it down. Tidus didn't think much of it at the time since he was pretty drunk.

Additionally, it was out that Tidus had the hots for Yuna in what was possibly the most obscene way it could have been revealed. Tidus didn't think he came on too strong and yet Yuna was apparently reluctant to see him as a potential love interest. It probably had something to do with the religion she followed. Tidus had run into problems with that sort of thing before. He wasn't sure how he felt about this one. Seymour seemed like bad news especially after what Snake had told everyone. There was probably a conspiracy revolving around Sin. Tidus didn't want to think too much about it since he wasn't sure if they would be able to change it if something was indeed terribly wrong.

Tidus sighed in frustration and punched the wall. He reeled back in pain as he'd hit it harder than he intended, cursing himself for being so immature. Tidus rarely lost his cool. The sound of his fist hitting the wall distracted Snake from his routine weapons maintenance. After polishing his guns, he took the ammunition clips he hadn't used in a while and ejected all the bullets from them before putting them back in again so he could give the spring in each clip a proper workout. He knew that Tidus was in the room adjacent to him and he was also aware that the kid had been sulking for quite a while now. Given all that Tidus had been through, Snake decided it might be a good time to go and have a talk with him since he was inadvertently so good at consoling people. Especially if they were dying.

Snake got up from the desk he was sitting at and strolled right into Tidus' room. At least he was out of bed and looking around for something to do. The pain probably snapped him out of his funk.

"Are you alright?" Snake asked.

"I'm fine." Tidus replied.

"You've been in here all evening and you are most certainly not fine."

"What do you know?"

"More than you, kid." Snake assured him. "Yuna and Auron like to talk."

Tidus stopped searching the dull bookcase he was focused on for something to read and looked at Snake. His head jerked backward in surprise. Snake wasn't dressed in a tight suit anymore. He had changed into a set of camouflaged clothes and still wore his bandanna proudly.

"Where did you find those?"

"Our inn keeper Rin had some locked away. He said he found them in the dessert. It was quite a surprise. What I'm wearing now is a leaf pattern. I figure it blends right in with the grassy fields we're going through at the moment. There were a few others, but this one is the best I can wear right now."

"That's quite a set." Tidus said. "I wish that stuff looked as good on me."

"So what's on your mind? Yuna?"

Tidus nodded.

"Well, you can't be the first Guardian who's fallen in love with a summoner."

"Is it that obvious?" Tidus asked with a sigh.

"You're positively infatuated with her."

"I guess I am. I've had girlfriends before, but they were really just mindless groupies. Yuna's different. She's got character and she talks about things that interest me."

"Does she really? Like what?"

"Like something other than blitzball and what kind of music I like to listen to." Tidus said. "You've got fans, don't you?"

"Who me?" Snake said.

"Yeah." Tidus replied. "You're pretty famous too, right?"

"For all the wrong reasons." Snake said.

"Haven't you ever had a fan?"

Snake took a long drag on his smoke.

"I've had a couple."

"You can't base a relationship off of someone like that." Tidus said. "I tried it a few times. It never worked."

"So Yuna is the first decent person you've ever met?" Snake asked, taking the conversation away from himself. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"It's the truth." Tidus said. "Even if she doesn't like me that way, I'm a little worried about her."

"I know. I personally think there's more to her than meets the eye. I think she may be putting up a front for everyone."

"She mentioned something to me about how she learned to smile even though she was sad."

"She told me about that too. That burden she's got is killing her inside despite the fact that everyone here has proven to be more than capable of protecting her. There's something really fishy about that and I don't like it. Anyway, I wouldn't obsess over it too much right now. We've got everything under control and I'm pretty sure she likes you too. You kids are just too dumb to express it properly or in a way that doesn't nauseate others."

"Maybe I'll just have to wait until the journeys over, but that's a long time from now." Tidus thought aloud.

Snake grinned.

"You won't be a Guardian anymore once Sin is defeated."

"That's true." Tidus said. "I guess there is some hope for us after all."

"Kids these days. So eager to fall in love." Snake said. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little." Tidus said.

"Good. Now go do something other than wallow in self pity."

"I will. Thanks, Snake."

"Anytime." Snake said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

Snake waved him off as he exited the room, his brief job as a case manager complete for the time being. He went back into his own room and finished loading his clips before looking at the watch he'd stolen from Raiden. That twit needed to take better care of his stuff. This was how he'd learn. Time in Spira was almost identical to time on Earth, so after a few adjustments the gadget functioned normally. Snake took a look outside and saw that Yuna was still sitting on that hill she'd been at earlier. These kids didn't have much of an imagination when it came to hiding their angst. Sitting in the same spot for hours was a clear sign of distress. Raiden approached her and asked if she had seen his watch, but she was unable to help him. Snake covered the device up with his sleeve and then decided to go join her as Raiden walked away. Raiden got some camoflauged clothes from Rin as well. Otacon found a pair of khaki's, a green T-Shirt, and a nice jacket that replaced his lab coat for the time being. Raiden was wearing the squares pattern and had gone up to _everyone _asking if they wanted to play checkers on him. Putting that aside for now, Snake remembered that he needed to discuss a few things with her that he had been putting off and now seemed like a good time to explore those concerns.

Yuna was so entombed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Snake approach her with his M4 carbine slung prominently over his shoulder. He took in the view for a minute. It was certainly quite a scene, but he didn't allow himself to be too distracted by it.

"He's a good guy." Snake said to break the ice. "A bit of an oddball, but still a good guy."

"You mean Tidus?" Yuna asked.

"I figured he was on your mind."

Snake sat down beside her and let his M4 rest in the grass for a few minutes. He had the urge to light up another smoke, but even he knew when to keep that at bay and this was one of those times.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, and I have many of my own and countless more I've been entrusted with from other people."

"While I was training to become a summoner, they taught me to be wary of specific feelings. If a summoner becomes too attached to their Guardians, certain complications can arise."

"You're afraid that becoming too close to someone will cause you to fail in your duty to destroy Sin?"

"I am. Such events have been recorded in the past with devastating consequences. It takes a long time to train a summoner and not just anyone can become one. That's why there are so few of them. We can't allow ourselves to become distracted."

"That sucks."

"It does indeed find itself at the level you have put it on. I do like him, Snake. Maybe a little too much for my own good."

"You're not a selfish person, Yuna. When the time comes, you'll be ready. Probably even more than any of us will be."

"I know. It's just that I'm not overly concerned with my own feelings in this matter."

That pretty much confirmed that she was hiding something quite dark and Snake had a faint idea of what it might be. If he was correct, then her union with Tidus might not have such a happy ending. Seeing her suffer like this tugged at his FOX-DIE saturated heart strings.

"Yuna." Snake said. "Tidus really has it in for you. Enjoy your time with him so you can keep on living without regrets. As your Guardian, I assume that it is my job to ensure that I will do everything I possibly can to ensure that you will come home alive. I will not fail. Is that clear?"

"Yes. It is." Yuna affirmed with a nod and a tear.

"I mean that. No, in fact I promise it."

They sat together silently for a long while. Having helped her and Tidus in the way he did made Snake feel highly nostalgic and eventually brought to mind some of his own problems, many of which he never had a chance to fully resolve. When they became too great to bear, Snake decided to proceed with the real reason he had come out here on this breezy evening.

"Do you still have that gun I gave you?" Snake asked.

Yuna nodded.

"If you want, I can begin teaching you how to use it properly. I'll also throw in a few extra pointers that have helped me survive in the past."

"That would be a good idea. I wish to establish myself as a proper member of the team. I want to become more than just the person everyone has to protect."

"Well then, here's your first real lesson."

Snake pulled out his golden Zippo lighter from his bad and showed it to Yuna.

"Sometimes the simplest item can make all the difference in the world. A cardboard box, a rusty old barrel. . .even a lighter." Snake explained, lighting the Zippo for emphasis after finishing his sentence. "What I mean by that is you should never give up in combat or really any other problem you face in life. There is a solution for everything and sadly most of the time it is not the one you want to go with."

"Okay."

"I'm full of other witty proverbs like that. Words don't mean much, though. Go change into some more comfortable clothes and come back outside."

After about ten minutes she emerged from Rin's inn without her summoner's uniform on any longer. Instead, she was dressed like a temple priestess. It was not quite as lavish as the summoner's robes, but it had a nice snug fit to her figure and looked relatively good on her. In any case, it was a lighter outfit that allowed for more movement.

"Don't you have any regular clothes?" Snake asked.

"No." Yuna replied. "Due to my status, I am required to wear a wide selection of clothing approved by the temple."

She turned around and pointed to a symbol on her back.

"This means that I am a summoner." she told him.

Snake took a closer look. The symbol could have almost been the Chinese Kanji character for the word summon if not for a few differences in the strokes. Yuna turned around to face him.

"It's easier to sleep in this." Yuna told him. "At the end of the day or if it's too hot outside, I'm allowed to change my clothes."

"I see." Snake said.

He beckoned for her to follow him and he lead her to an area where he had asked Rin to set up a veritable shooting range complete with empty bottles, a scarecrow with a melon head that Otacon painted the face of Solidus on, and other miscellaneous goodies. Snake smiled a little at the display. Rin was quite an eager fellow. In addition to being an Al-Bhed who spoke English fluently, he apparently owned all of the checkpoints and was currently visiting every one of them to see if any improvements needed to be made. Turrets designed to attack Fiends were set up along every outpost. Snake even spotted a few Tesla coils. The robots they had seen at the docks in Luca patrolled the area. Rin was horrified to learn that the Psyches tried to blackmail the Auroch's into winning and could offer no explanation as to why they would do such a thing. He was positively thrilled that Yuna was staying at his establishments and had already offered a wide variety of taboo items to everyone, including the clothing Snake now wore.

As soon as she had finished looking at everything, Snake handed her his rifle. Yuna took it tenderly.

"The first thing we're going to do is find your line of sight." Snake said. "This will determine which eye you're naturally inclined to aim with. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to use both eyes to shoot, thus giving you two angles to shoot from. We'll save that for later, though. I don't think you're going to need to shoot a security camera from around a corner anytime soon."

Yuna placed the butt of the rifle up against her right shoulder like Snake showed her.

"This particular gun is ripe for customization, but we're starting you off on the most basic level there is. How do the iron sights look? Can you see down the middle and center them on any one of your targets?"

"No." Yuna said. "They're kind of wobbly, for lack of a better term. I can't seem to line them up right."

"Gently switch which shoulder you're using and aim with your other eye. Don't move your head until the butt is up against your shoulder."

She did so.

"Got it. They look fine now."

"Left eye dominant, huh?" Snake said to himself.

"Is that bad?"

"No, not really. Shoot with that eye from now on."

"Snake, before we really begin using these weapons, I have a small favor to ask. Don't tell anyone you're teaching me how to do this, especially Wakka. He already has some problems with how you use Al-Bhed machina."

"More like how I use Colt Firearms, Heckler and Koch, and some IMI when I'm feeling particularly angry, but I digress. We can keep this between us rather easily."

With that, Yuna's induction to the world of firearms began without a hitch. She flinched the first few times she fired the USP without a suppressor, but quickly adjusted so her aim wouldn't waver. Snake decided not to silence the guns for that very purpose. Aside from that, he later explained to Yuna that suppressors changed the weight of the gun and could lessen the accuracy and impact if they were designed incorrectly. Through years of testing out many makes and models, Snake had come to purchase or acquire only the best suppressors there were. After she had become quite familiar with the pistol, she expressed interest in using the rifle. Snake was quick to warn her that she might not be ready for an automatic weapon quite yet, but he had underestimated her. She fired it perfectly after a few minutes.

When it got late enough, Yuna cast a lighting spell on the area to provide them with good visibility. He offered more than once to cease the training for the day, but Yuna was far too interested in pursuing it further. Normally he would have cut this private lesson short so she wouldn't wear herself out and would be left wanting to learn more, but he decided against it after he noticed that she was letting out a fair amount of stress she had accumulated during the journey through the session. They took a brief break and sat down in the grass where Snake proceeded to show her all of his weapons and their handy accessories. If there was one thing Snake really liked, it was a girl who could appreciate guns. Yuna was intensely interested in them and actually listened as he went on and on about how they worked. While he wasn't proud of his military career, Snake credited himself heavily for his knowledge and enjoyed sharing it.

"Why is there a groove in the side of your grip for the M9 and USP?" Yuna asked.

"Oh, these? They're for CQC. Specifically, the groove is for a knife."

"CQC?"

"I believe I might have mentioned it to you earlier. It's an art of self-defense. One of many, I might add."

"Could you teach me? You said you would. Remember? Just in case I get caught by an Al-Bhed again, right?"

"It's getting kind of late."

"At least show me a few things. After that, we can stop for tonight and pick up where we left off later."

Yuna was primarily concerned with how she had gotten captured back at the docks. The Al-Bhed that snuck up behind her had put her in a chokehold that she was too frightened to break out of. Snake demonstrated several counters specific to her weight as she might not be quite as proficient at rolling a two hundred pound man over her shoulders due to her fragile frame. Though the course wasn't supposed to last for very long, Snake still wound up demonstrating several different fighting styles and breaks to her just for the fun of it well into the evening. Snake gave her one of his KA-BAR knives in case she needed it more than her gun and taught her how to use it as well. She learned quickly. Yuna's previous courses in staff fighting aided her well. She was no stranger to self-defense. It was around two in the morning according to his new watch when they finally decided to call it a day.

For Snake, the act of him passing on his knowledge to someone who might someday make good use of it was enough to leave him feeling highly gratified, not to mention the least bit exhausted. It was good therapy for him. Karma must have decided to reward him early for comforting Yuna and Tidus. Without even bothering to shower, he hit the sack and immediately went to sleep. Yuna was not as lucky. Her youthful energy had not been fully spent. Thus, she was wired. Instead of trying to get at least five hours in, she decided to stay up until she felt tired enough to pass out the moment she crawled back into bed.

Although she had no sparring partner, she still went through some of the attacks Snake had shown her. She also practiced reloading and drawing her gun. Eventually she got to a point where she was satisfied, so she was finally able to lie down and relax. There were some sounds coming from the other room as Raiden quietly rummaged through everything he had in search of the five things that had suddenly vanished from his bag while Otacon slept like a log and Snake grinned in his sleep.


	12. Chapter 11 : Operation Mi’ihen

**Chapter 11 : Operation Mi'ihen.**

"I can't believe we're actually going to do this." Raiden said as he watched Otacon help the Al-Bhed calibrate their big laser gun. "Those priests of Yevon already know it's going to be a losing battle, so why bother?"

"Like I said, we're just here for Solidus."

"I know. If he even shows up! You've been telling me that for the last ten minutes."

"Gee, if it's been that long you would think that this conversation is more than over with by now."

"Okay, I'll shut up." Raiden said with a sigh. "It just seems like suicide to me. Make sure this pirate garbage makes a big boom."

"It's not that easy, but that's what I'm trying to do here."

While Otacon continued checking the weapon, Snake sat on a cliff overlooking the beach watching the men across the sandy shore work like so many tiny ants outside of their mound. He was having an introspective smoke as he thought about the operation Yuna had been asked to oversee. Her presence here made everyone work a lot harder. It also lifted some gloomy moods. They had literally walked right into this fiasco. Six hours after leaving the Al-Bhed checkpoint they came across a military caravan full of knights and a large collection of citizen soldiers armed to the teeth with a variety of stabbing weapons. The difference between the knights and citizen soldiers was evident in their equipment and armor, but regardless of that they were all prepared for a war. The Al-Bhed were also on the scene with their K98's. They were moving captured Sinspawn into the area as bait for Sin. Snake already knew that the Sinspawn came from Sin's body, but he did not know that Sin didn't like leaving living pieces of itself lying around everywhere. It was a convenient detail that nobody had mentioned and an essential part of the operation.

The plan was to use a gigantic laser to blast a hole in Sin's skull. Several canons would hopefully weaken its outer shell enough to allow for this. While it waited for Sin to get in range, the knights and soldiers would protect it from additional Sinspawn. This didn't seem like a good idea to Snake. The priests on site weren't saying anything. It was as if they knew that none of this was going to work but were allowing it to continue for some twisted reason. Snake wanted to have more faith in the huge laser, but he couldn't. Sin was a key player in the religion everyone followed. Without it, too many rules would have to be changed. It was no small wonder why nothing but the final summoning ever worked. Snake sighed. Maybe they still stood a chance. After all, he had worked with impossible odds before and had come out victorious. Perhaps the laser would kill Sin. If it did, the priests would throw a huge fit. Not only would the religion need an update, but the political structure would have to be reorganized as well. There would still be massive subjugation in some form or another since the priesthood was so irreparably crooked, but at least Sin wouldn't come back every ten years to terrorize everyone.

Adding to Snake's worries was the fact that Seymour was here, which meant that Solidus had to be somewhere nearby. Seymour was the official sponsor of the operation, but he was more of an endorsement than anything else. The person in charge was down on the beach while Seymour sat squared away in a heavily guarded area with a great view. If Seymour wasn't in such a high position of power, Snake would have pushed him into the pillbug Sinspawn that got loose and ate a few people before they managed to restrain it. Seymour had been talking with Yuna quite a bit before Snake wandered off and that made him wish he hadn't told her that he was probably a bad guy. Yuna did put up a good act, but she was still uncomfortable around the creep. Seymour hadn't addressed Snake yet, but he had been examined when the Maester took in Yuna's highly diverse selection of Guardians for a second time.

The middle finger was apparently a universal insult.

After a while, the rest of the party came out to visit Snake who was hiding in an alcove like some disgruntled bushmaster so he wouldn't have to talk with Seymour. Though they were somewhat of a separate entourage that mainly did their own thing with Snake and his buddies jumping in at key moments to help, they had agreed to keep an eye out for Solidus and attempt to fight the man if they spotted him. However, killing Solidus was a no-no. That joy was for Snake. Yuna and her minions approached him, having had their fill of the ominous clouds, stuffy priests, and the endless sea.

"How was your meeting with Seymour?" Snake asked.

"I don't know what to make of him." Yuna replied. "He confuses me."

"Do you think he's just trapped in the system?"

"No. He's a part of it. What you heard in Luca confirms that."

"Did he talk with any of you?" Snake asked her other Guardians. "He sure was eager to get to know everyone earlier."

"He mainly focused on Yuna." Auron replied.

"He's a real ladies man." Lulu remarked.

"Putting that aside for now, it might be dangerous for you to stay here." Yuna told him. "You should come back to the command post. They're expecting Sin to show up within the hour."

"This is just what I wanted to do today. Sit in luxury and watch everyone die." Snake mused aloud. "Those men are real politicians, aren't they?"

"Don't say that." Yuna insisted. "It just might work. Even if it doesn't, it's still a testament to Spira's will."

"I have to go with Snake on this one." Auron said. "But it would be better if you followed us. If nothing else, you could get a good vantage point up there with that sniper rifle you're carrying."

"Yeah, and I'll be your spotter!" Tidus offered.

Snake thought that one over for a moment and shrugged indifferently.

"Kid, I don't think Solidus is going to be riding Sin's head straight into this battle. He's not that much of a. . ."

Snake reevaluated what he knew about Solidus' personality.

"Yeah, I could use a spotter. Thanks, Tidus." Snake said.

"No problem."

Snake tossed Tidus his pair of military binoculars.

"Don't break it. They're incredibly expensive and I don't want to have to actually buy a pair."

"Did you steal this one?"

"While I was on a mission! It's the only way to be sure. Now let's head up to the White House."

"It's more of a tent." Yuna corrected.

"I know what it is." Snake said. "You know, it wouldn't be so bad if the priests were actually trying to help. They could at least say a few things to boost the morale around here so everyone will fight a little harder. Maybe they could even review the plan and see if they could add something to it. They clearly know more about Sin than anyone else does."

"That would take most of the fun out of all this if they did." Auron said.

"Wait, where are your two other friends?" Lulu asked.

"They're still down on the beach. I don't want to have to go all the way down there just to get them."

Snake took out the small device that manually dialed frequencies for his CODEC.

"Let's see if this thing still works."

He called Otacon, who answered.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks for asking." Otacon replied politely.

"I meant with the laser."

"Oh, that. Everything is in working order."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm good with physics and I helped build the laser Rex uses. I know a thing or two about this kind of weapon."

"Do you think it will destroy Sin?"

"That I don't know, but it could put a hole in a battleship if that's any consolation."

"I guess we'll just have to hope for the best. You and Raiden need to head up to the command post. That's where I'll be."

"Alright. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Snake walked with Yuna's companions to safety. The command post was bustling with activity. Seymour was actually having lunch with all of his buddies. Only a few nonessential personnel who should have been down on the beach were around aside from the personal bodyguards assigned to protect the priests and mainly Seymour. They were making some last minute preparations. Snake scouted for a good sniper spot and found one. He gave Tidus a very basic overview of what his duties were as his spotter. Snake would be doing most of the real work, but Tidus could still be helpful. He set up his Barrett M82 and got into a prone position where he remained perfectly still while Tidus peered through the binoculars. The two were quite a spectacle and accidentally managed to attract some unwanted attention.

"This is certainly admirable." Seymour said. "I know I feel safer already."

It took all of Snake's training not to flinch when he heard Seymour's voice. He didn't even bother taking his gaze away from what his scope was showing him. Tidus mimicked Snake's stone-like demeanor and refused to acknowledge Seymour.

"Such intensity. Well, I will not bother you any longer." Seymour declared. "I do hope that you're a good shot."

The Maester then left them. By what he had said, Snake inferred that he might not like Solidus all that much and could be planning to betray the man. By the same token, it could have just been playful banter on that dirty bastard's part. If the two men cared enough to watch Seymour, they would have seen him fraternizing with Yuna again. Otacon and Raiden arrived on site and passed some information concerning the laser along to a knight just as she was heading down to the beach. At that moment Tidus spotted a black mass underneath the water approaching them at an intimidating speed. He gasped as the monstrosity surfaced. Several flares were fired on the beach to let everyone know that they saw it as well.

"It's here!" Tidus shouted.

Seymour passed the message along as Raiden and Otacon found a spot near Snake and set themselves into the same position he and Tidus had with Raiden as the shooter and Otacon as the spotter. A loud horn blared to signal the start of the operation. The normal canons Otacon had worked on fired first and managed to hit Sin, blowing off small chunks of its massive body. The pieces quickly turned into monsters that swam through the water until they reached the beach where they surfaced and were met in battle by the soldiers. Any other canon the Al-Bhed used that Otacon hadn't evaluated failed to perform well and attacking Sin with them quickly became redundant since any part of its body that incurred mild damage became a Sinspawn. This obviously added to the problem. It made plenty of Sinspawn by itself. It didn't need any additional encouragement. Tidus zoomed in on the head of Sin where Snake told him to look and fingered the focus. Quite to his immense surprise, a man in a heavy black cloak was riding on its skull. Two tentacle appendages were coming out of his back and seemed to be hooked to Sin's body. They were obviously there to keep him balanced.

"Snake!" Tidus cried. "You were right!"

"We see it too!" Otacon said.

"Well, I'll be damned. I wish I had a camera." Snake said to himself.

The squad relayed information back and forth until they could determine when the opportunity for a perfect shot finally presented itself. Sin was still being pelted with heavy artillery that appeared to be doing nothing and hadn't made any offensive effort yet. It seemed content with letting its spawn do the work for now as it continued on its way toward the beach.

"Raiden, you go first. You've got one shot." Snake said.

"Firing!" Raiden shouted.

A bullet tore through the air, heading right for Solidus' head. Raiden was pretty good at adjusting for wind. His aim was true. What could have been a perfect shot that would have torn Solidus' head right off was unexpectedly blocked by a barrier that suddenly appeared around Sin. Solidus used one of his tentacles to pluck the bullet out of the shield and then brought it closer so he could examine it. He grinned broadly. Snake took his shot. He always thought that a .50 caliber sniper rifle sounded like it was coughing up the bullet when it fired. The noise alone shocked Tidus so bad that he fell over on his rear. His bullet was stopped in the same fashion. Solidus disengaged his feelers and leaped forward into the air, landing on the beach ahead of Sin. The soldiers on the ground didn't know what to make of him as he ran for the incline leading up to where Snake was.

"He knows where we are now! Damn!" Snake yelled.

He slammed his fist into the dirt in anguish.

"Double damn and triple damn!" Snake cursed repeatedly.

Yuna saw that he had blown it and ran to his side so she could possibly console him, but Snake was far too angry at that point to be soothed by any comforting words or reassuring fallacies.

"That dirty rat bastard!" Snake roared. "I'm gonna kill him with my bare hands!"

"Calm down, Snake." Yuna urged. "It's okay, you'll find a way."

Snake reached into his bag and desperately wished he would have brought a minigun with him. Instead, he settled for his trusty M4, which wasn't nearly big enough to hurt Solidus in the way he deserved for pulling such an irritating trick.

"Raiden, we're going to go find him!" Snake ordered.

"But that would mean being on the beach!" Yuna said.

"So what?"

"The beach isn't safe!" Yuna declared, her eyes tearing up in sympathy. "It's not safe."

She wandered off feebly and almost became ill as the weight of the people's mistake finally became apparent. There was still one weapon that the Al-Bhed had as a last resort, but Sin hadn't come into range yet so the men operating the oddly shaped laser canon were on standby. Sin finally decided to swat the mosquito's ruining its day at the beach and sent the protective barrier forward with a burst of energy that originated from its mouth. The barrier was sent to the beach in the form of a shockwave. Snake had a perfect view of what happened next. Everything the wave hit save for the Sinspawn instantaneously evaporated into black ash. It stopped inches away from the laser. The soldiers on the beach beat a hasty retreat as Sin effortlessly armed itself with another barrier and continued heading towards them. In a sheer show of admirable courage, the Al-Bhed men who knew how the cannon worked stood fast against the dire circumstances.

"Snake, we've got a bit of a problem!" Auron shouted from nearby.

His attention was taken off of the impending doom and refocused on some kind of abomination that was ravaging the command post. It looked like the Sinspawn they had used to bait Sin had escaped. The creatures had somehow molded themselves together to enhance their powers. Seymour had joined the Guardians in battle and was annihilating the ugly Sinspawn effortlessly. Amazingly enough, he didn't seem to be putting on a show for Yuna this time around. Tidus accompanied the assault as Yuna summoned Satan into battle. Even though he knew the Aeon's real name was Ifrit, Snake always referred to it as Satan since it looked more like the devil than anything else. Surely with all of their combined force the Sinspawn didn't stand a chance, so Auron couldn't possibly be asking Snake for help.

"You were saying?"

"Sin's getting closer. It's time to get out of here. The next pulse just might hit us."

"That is indeed very distressing." Snake observed.

As they spoke, the Al-Bhed tried to use their giant laser canon to annihilate Sin and rid Spira of its capricious destructiveness. A bolt of energy that looked remarkably similar to whatever had surrounded Sin shot from the canon and gave Sin's shield a workout. The men currently not engaged in combat enjoyed a brief moment of hope when it looked as though the energy might break through, but that was quickly dashed when Sin decided to stop playing around and pumped out a second shockwave. It annihilated the weapon. Yuna and the others defeated the Sinspawn just in time to watch as the damaged wave drew near. Raiden and Otacon became hysterical while Auron shared a drink of his wine with Snake as the two darted off toward cover. The last thing Snake thought of before blacking out was that he wasn't fond of saké and if he had enough gall to carry a flask of liquor around with him all the time it would probably be full of either a mixed drink or whiskey. Maybe both.

**X**

Yuna regained consciousness underneath a pile of smoldering timbers that had once been a part of the command post. She was battered, bruised, and could taste blood in her mouth. At least she was still alive. Her concern quickly shifted away from herself and unto her Guardians, who might need her help. Yuna crawled out from under the mess and looked around. The first person she spotted was Snake, who was lying limp but otherwise looked unharmed. Yuna gently flipped him over so that he was lying on his back. While she began to check for signs of life, Raiden emerged from the wooden crate he'd stuck himself into seconds before the wave hit them and surveyed the immense damage. Almost everything had been wiped out. Bodies and debris littered the beach. His crate had been thrown quite far, but he could see Yuna tending to a man in a distinctive set of camouflaged clothing about twenty feet away.

Raiden almost swallowed his tongue as he crawled out from the munitions crate and ran towards them. He passed Otacon along the way, who was crawling around on his hands and knees while trying to find his glasses. Raiden pushed Yuna away from Snake so forcefully that she rolled a few feet. He cradled the larger man in his arms and began shaking him violently.

"Snake! What happened? Are you alright? _Snaaaaaaaaaake!_" Raiden screamed.

"He's alive, I think." Yuna said. "I didn't have enough time to make sure."

The huge wrecking sobs that escaped Raiden's throat drowned out Yuna's gentle voice of reassurance.

"Now what am I going to do? He'll never know how much I. . .oh, to hell with it!"

Raiden locked lips with Solid Snake. Yuna blinked and cast an esuna spell on herself. The image didn't change. Snake awoke during the middle of this act of passion and could taste stale cinnamon apples slices inside his mouth as a slimy tongue darted around the inside of his cheek. Tears and snot dripped down his cheeks. Upon realizing who his sloppy kisser was, Snake began flailing violently until Raiden disengaged his smooch.

"Get this ass bandit off of me!" Snake demanded as he wiped Raiden's drool from his chin.

"You're alive!" Raiden exclaimed. "I was so worried!"

He dropped his comrade and stood up. Yuna placed the balled end of her staff against his chest and gently walked him away from Snake.

"You stand here for now." Yuna instructed.

"I'm sorry. I thought he was dead and I couldn't help myself."

"You mean you didn't check to see first?"

"No, I just automatically assumed the worst. I mean, come on, should we even be alive right now?"

Yuna narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're strange." she said.

"Jacky boy, you had better start running right now because I'm going to killyou when I get back on my feet!"

"I think he means it. Why don't you go look for other survivors?" Yuna asked.

Raiden nodded and left them. Yuna walked out to the edge of the cliff and surveyed the scene. Tidus was swimming back to the beach. Why he had been in the ocean was his own business, she supposed. There weren't quite as many bodies down there as she had expected. Then again, most of them had evaporated into nothing after Sin's first attack. Anyone else down there must have fallen to their death or had been killed by Sinspawn before the final blow was dealt. Sin itself was slowly sinking away in the distance. The plan hadn't work, just like everyone expected. At least it had been a good effort. She kept telling herself that so she wouldn't scream. Yuna focused her attention on Tidus and nothing else as the man got out of the water. Auron was down there with him and the two began talking.

Snake was searching around madly for his bag and couldn't find it. He spied Otacon in the distance still trying to find his glasses and knew that the man would be screwed if he couldn't. Otacon might as well be blind without them. He carried a couple spare pairs, but they were also in Snake's bag. Yuna spotted Raiden heading towards the beach with Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri following him. It looked like everyone was present and accounted for.

"Looking for something, brother?" a familiar voice asked.

Snake looked up just in time to have the full weight of his bag come down on his face. He shook off the pain and reclaimed his items just as Solidus came crashing to the ground in front of him. Before Snake could react by pulling out his M1911 that was still in its holster, Solidus grabbed him around the neck with one of his tentacles and held him in the air.

"Solidus" Snake said as the grip tightened. "You're still alive!"

"I won't die so long as you still live."

"What the hell? Do you think you're clever stealing lines from Liquid like that?"

An uncharacteristically humorous gagging noise came out of Snake when Solidus upped the intensity of his grip.

"What is with you and these stupid octopus arms?" Snake managed to ask. "Do you have a tentacle rape fetish, or something?"

"Where's Jacky boy?" Solidus asked.

"Why? Are you still hoping to get the location of the Patriots out of his brain?" Snake demanded.

Solidus nodded. Snake managed to laugh.

"The jokes on you! They're dead! They're all dead! They've been dead for a hundred years!"

"What?" Solidus asked. "But Ocelot is. . ."

A supreme realization hit Solidus.

"No. . .it can't be. . .if they're dead, then that means. . ." Solidus said to himself, stunned.

His mood abruptly changed back to his cranky regular self.

"That's impossible. You're lying!"

"Am I?" Snake asked. "Do I have a reason to?"

Yuna armed herself with her USP and began shooting at the arm that held Snake in an attempt to free him.

"It's no good!" Snake shouted, his face turning purple. "Run!"

She froze, unable to decide.

"Aww." Solidus cooed sarcastically. "Look at her. It would just tear her little heart apart if she left you here to die. Well, I'll fix that!"

Solidus easily grabbed her while she tried to escape with his fetish tubes and held her over the edge of the cliff.

"Stop!" Snake shouted. "Leave her out of this!"

"Why? Is she your latest?"

"Hardly. She's young enough to be my daughter!"

"I seem to remember you having some good luck in that area. I believe you, though. Everything about her screams that she's a virgin. But if she means so little to you, I guess she's nothing but a burden."

Solidus released his grip on Yuna, who screamed horribly as she fell out of sight. Though it pained him greatly to admit it, Snake wasn't surprised. He had a faint ray of hope that someone would manage to catch her before she landed, but now wasn't the time to grieve over her loss.

"Are you satisfied now, prick?" Snake demanded. "You had better kill me while you're at it because if you let me go after doing something like that, I'll tear your guts out!"

"No. You're coming with me, for now. You haven't suffered enough yet!"

Snake was about to black out when a red beach ball hit Solidus hard in the face. An intense feeling of pain quickly followed the initial mild burn at the point of impact. The part of Solidus face that had been struck began to peel off as an invisible fire ate away at it. He grabbed the area to try and squeeze out the pain, but he only managed to make it worse by tearing away some of his flesh in gooey strips of wet fat. Solidus screamed in a mixture of aggravation and pain. The ball Wakka had thrown was embedded with a fire strike property. Lulu had explained how this worked to Snake a little earlier. Any weapon with a bit of magic in it would take effect immediately after it was used offensively by its wielder. Snake had previously seen this in action by the blue blade Tidus carried, which would give enemies severe frostbite if he so much as poked them.

Speaking of Tidus, it was Snake's turn to feel very humble as the man jumped forward and slashed the strangle noodle that held Snake in its deadly pincers. He collapsed to the ground and gasped for air, coughing violently as he did. Tidus and Raiden stood in front of Snake with the intent to guard him as the rest of the team launched into an all out attack against Solidus. Kimahri fended off the free feeler while Wakka kept an eye on the other one. Lulu cast a fire spell on the man that did nothing at first due to the armor he was wearing but quickly heated up to the point where the skin it was pressing against peeled away, exposing raw muscle. Solidus took his P-90 out and would have gunned down Lulu if Wakka hadn't knocked the gun out of his hands.

Solidus let loose a familiar growl as the artificial muscles in his suit expanded to shield him from the fire. He took out his two katana's. Auron saw this as a challenge. Lulu turned off her fire spell to give Auron a bit more freedom in his movement as he attacked Solidus. Even with his two blades, Solidus was no match for Auron, who quickly shattered both of them with his own sword and booted Solidus in the chest with enough force to knock him flat on his ass. Otacon bashed a rock over his head and then stumbled blindly behind Tidus and Raiden. Snake heard the sound of a familiar bird screeching to announce its presence. Valefor flew into view with Yuna on its back. A flood of relief great enough to leave Snake feeling weightless coursed through his soul. This was a stark contrast to Yuna's current mood. She was not too happy after having been thrown about so unfairly by an older gentleman who was too lazy to use his actual arms. Pure rage beyond anything Snake had ever seen filled her wacky irises.

"You coward!" Yuna screamed. "You worthless coward!"

"Gimme kisses!" Valefor screeched, imitating Yuna's voice with whatever sound it could make to match it.

"Yuna, are you teaching it how to talk?" Lulu asked.

"Does that really matter? It's just being dramatic!"

Valefor drew its head back while energy gathered at its beak. Solidus stumbled backward in a daze brought on by Otacon's attack and groaned in pain. Not the least bit perturbed, Valefor let loose with its beam of raw justice to annihilate Solidus, former U.S president and misinformed anti-hero. A blazing white burst of pure energy would have hit Solidus square in the chest if he hadn't mystically vanished. The beam instead struck the rock wall in front of them with enough force to leave a hole spanning eight feet in length. No armor Snake knew of could repel energy of that magnitude unless they were talking about Sin or any number of the Fiends that inhabited Spira. The team desperately looked around for Solidus, but Lulu was on to his game and could sense where he had gone.

"Magic!" Lulu shouted. "He's up there!"

Everyone looked to where Lulu pointed and saw a severally wounded Solidus standing on the perch he was at earlier before he jumped in front of Snake. Half of his face had melted off, leaving a very nasty burn wound behind.

"You guys are a bunch of ass'!" Solidus cursed. "You were lucky this time. We'll meet again and when we do, I'll be more prepared!"

Solidus opened his hand, revealing a very pretty necklace with an absolutely gorgeous pendant. Lulu hit him with a lightning bolt, which brought him to his knees but didn't cause him to drop his charm. In an instant, he vanished from the area yet again.

"Lulu, he can use magic. Please explain." Snake asked.

"He's using an item with magical properties, much like anyone with no natural inclination towards a specific sect can do." she stated. "The more powerful the charm, the rarer and more expensive it is. That necklace he has obviously allows him to warp, which is a very tricky spell to master. Seymour had to have given it to him."

"Great. So now he can be everywhere and anywhere and wherever in between whenever he wants." Snake said.

"Not like it matters, ya? We scared him pretty good." Wakka said.

"If we see him again, we'll be sure to finish the job." Auron assured Snake.

"We had better. He knows our strengths. While we do develop with battle, he has a general idea of how strong we are and could likely guess how strong we will be." Lulu pointed out.

"Nah, he doesn't seem like the type that gives too much thought to what he does." Tidus said. "If we beat him once, we can do it again."

Valefor landed and put its head on the ground so Yuna could slide off of it safely. The impressive bird remained standing prominently with the rest of the group in front of Snake, who was overtaken by their willingness to help him. He hid his face so they wouldn't see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I knew he was going to drop me, so I pretended to be helpless. I'm sorry if that frightened you, Snake."

"No, it's fine." Snake said, his voice cracking slightly.

Snake cleared his throat to sweep away any tremble his voice might have the next time he spoke.

"Thanks, guys." Snake said. "You've helped me more than you even know."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Tidus said.


	13. Chapter 12 : The Aftermath

**Chapter 12 : Operation Mi'ihen – The Aftermath**

The feeling of togetherness gradually declined as the moment passed, but everyone was left feeling more attached to each other after having saved Snake from his current nemesis. This certainly helped their solidarity and began merging their objectives together, thus making the team feel more whole. They couldn't leave the area as it was and decided to do whatever they could to help out while they were there. They wound up organizing survivors and watching as the wounded were carried away in carts pulled by giant golden chickens. Snake had seen a few in the wild before along the Highroad. These great fowls were called chocobo's. They were flightless birds used much in the same way horses were.

Some of the soldiers and Al-Bhed who had been given the order to retreat gradually returned to clean up their mess. The rest had left the area completely. Everyone was severally depressed. Word had it that Seymour was still alive, but he had already left the scene. Otacon never found his glasses and had to use his one of his spare pairs that was in Snake's bag, which Solidus had not taken anything from. There wasn't even a bomb in it. Solidus must have been in a hurry. Later in the evening, Snake sat at a campfire he had built from the ruins of the command post as he, Tidus, Wakka, and Raiden watched Yuna do her sending. He was still a little angry that Raiden had kissed him, but Snake had gotten over it when he realized how much he meant to Raiden. The kid really looked up to him for advice and support. It was almost natural to see a rookie like him act so devastated at having potentially lost their mentor. Snake would sleep in a separate room with his door locked from now on, but that was the only negative effect the kiss had on the two men. Raiden was acting a bit odd since then and had gone to talk with Otacon about a certain something. Snake sincerely hoped it had nothing to do with doubting his sexuality as the man had Rose.

Once they finished with that, it was time to head to the Djose temple where Yuna would acquire another Aeon. So far she had an overgrown parrotlet and Satan. Snake couldn't wait to see what the next one was. While they walked, Snake explained his case against Solidus to the group with an abundance of colorful language, commonly referring to Solidus as 'that rat bastard' later on in the story. They had a right to know as they had now made him their enemy as well. The team seemed fascinated by the concept of cloning and simply explaining the Big Shell incident wasn't enough to satisfy their curiosity. Snake launched clear back to the beginning and gave them a full overview of his military career, stopping only to fight or when Yuna assisted one of the displaced soldiers from the operation. Some needed brief pep talks to lift their spirits. Yuna sure was good at what she did.

Yuna and her companions were graced with full knowledge of the Patriots, Big Boss, and several other details that basically made up a grand chunk of Snake's adult life. The only thing he left out was FOXDIE.

"So Big Boss is your father and he is also essentially you yourself." Auron said aloud.

"That's correct. It was just another attempt at creating the perfect soldier. Technically I am him."

"Kimahri think it might have worked." Kimahri said suddenly. "Snake fight in battle as if possessed by demon."

Snake's men and Tidus froze in place, amazed that the Ronso had actually spoken. When nobody stopped to accompany them in their shock, they figured Kimahri was just the silent type. His compliment toward Snake wasn't taken lightly, although Snake had to grin at his limited linguistic prowess. If all Ronso's talked like that, Snake would be a happy man.

"Anyway, it's just one big mess." Snake said.

"Sounds like it." Lulu stated. "At least you're getting quite a refreshing break from it."

"Like a vacation, ya?" Wakka added.

"Maybe, but I've never liked vacations or breaks. Nothing can stop you from remembering your obligations." Snake said.

"And I presume yours are to keep fighting?" Auron asked.

"It's the only thing I've ever been good at."

"Makes sense." Auron said. "At least you have a purpose."

"Aren't you ever going to quit?" Yuna asked.

"Maybe after I get this whole Patriots business behind me."

About a mile down the road they came upon a female knight riding a chocobo. She stopped in front of them.

"Lady Summoner, I'm sorry to impede your progress, but we need your help." she said.

"It's fine. How can I be of assistance?"

"We have many wounded from the battle earlier today. If you could take a few hours to tend to some of the more serious injuries, we would be forever in your debt."

"Where's your MASH?" Snake asked.

"Excuse me; I don't believe I heard you correctly." she said.

"Where are the hurt people?" Raiden clarified.

"Right outside Djose temple."

"I am still growing in my magic." Yuna said. "While I have been trained to heal as anyone normally could, there is only so much my magic can do."

"We have plenty of ether to rejuvenate your magical energy and you can use as much of it as you need. Either way is fine with us. We need all the help we can get and we were told that healing is your specialty."

Otacon sighed.

"Oh, boy. A detour." he said. "I bet you're chomping at the bit, Snake."

"You know it." Snake said. "Lead the way. I also know plenty about medicine, so you can count me in."

"Me too!" Raiden exclaimed.

"Not so fast, VR Baby. Did you learn all your awesome field medic skills from playing a mod of Trauma Center? Hell, I wouldn't trust you to disinfect my ingrown toenail. You go replenish ourgoodies at the souvenir shop that temple is bound to have. Take Kimahri with you."

"I'll follow Kimahri. I don't like blood." Auron said jokingly.

Kimahri and Auron left together like they were best friends forever. Raiden tailed behind them.

"Finished giving orders, sergeant?" Lulu asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I technically _am_ a sergeant and since there are less than ten of us, I'm right where I need to be." Snake countered. "Sorry if I came off as bossy, but I can't help it. You people do what you want to, but if you listen to me, we'll all be better off."

"I was just giving you a hard time. Your MASH is probably less than a mile away from the temple anyway." Lulu said. "I see no fault with your instructions."

"Well, let's get going. People are dying, ya?" Wakka urged.

The knight led the way and they soon came upon a clearing across from a bridge that had many tents erected in the vicinity. Some people were still lying wounded in their cots as soldiers, Al-Bhed, and even some priests set up the tents around them. The clergy of the temple who had opted to help were all lower ranking members. There was one priest, but aside from that they appeared to be giving these people the cold shoulder. Perhaps it was a small way for them to show their disapproval of the weapons they had used during the fight against Sin. The knight directed them towards a shelter that looked like all the rest on the outside except for the staff with a red ribbon tied around it near the front entrance. The screams coming from it were positively horrific. The first man Snake saw had half of his body missing. It ended cleanly right below his ribs. This man must have barely escaped the full brunt of Sin's initial shockwave.

Another man had his lower jaw torn off and part of his brain exposed. He had clearly been resigned to die as there was a nun in green holding his one remaining hand and looking him dead in the eye out of dignity whereas most people were avoiding him. The wounds gradually became less serious and more treatable as they walked further into the tent. Clearly there was segregation at work here. The Guardians who knew what they were doing went to work on the people who needed intervention immediately. Those who were less adapt at this type of thing helped those who were. Tidus and Wakka quickly became the orderlies. Yuna took off her sleeves to avoid getting blood on them and stitched up a wound too severe for a cure spell yet. Lulu treated some third degree burns to the chest and face of female Al-Bhed, all the while assuring her that she still looked beautiful with the help of an interpreter.

That appeared to be the main concern of everyone here. Snake's bedside manner was a bit rusty, but he did the best he could to console a man who was afraid of losing his mutilated leg before it was hacked off. Perhaps the most shameful thing these injured soldiers would come to experience was the social stigma toward their disabilities in everyday life. Some of these people could have been heroes in their own right even though they were now physically impaired. The latter would cancel out the former. Snake knew that when some of these people walked out of the tent, they would be viewed differently. Wakka let Snake know that there wasn't any spell that could regenerate missing limbs, or at least it hadn't been discovered yet. Snake figured that some of the people he assisted would have problems finding someone to love because their unique injuries would not be perceived as normal and could quite possibly compromise their ability to provide, thus making them less desirable. He told them otherwise. Such was the plight of a disabled veteran. Snake couldn't wait for artificial cybernetic limb replacements to become an affordable reality. Maybe then things would be different.

All of this was done to try and kill Sin. Snake had to voice his doubts over Yevon or at least learn more about the religion. He saw to a patient beside Lulu and so he could have a discussion with her. Wakka and Tidus took notice of this and made there way over to him, interested to hear what he had to say about this situation. Snake made sure Yuna was preoccupied before he stated his case. The person they were treating was sleeping under the influence of heavy anesthesia. If he kept his voice down, the priests wouldn't have to hear his blasphemies.

"The more I think about it, the more it seems as if the priesthood of Yevon knows how to permanently destroy Sin. However, they do not do so because it is in some way valuable to them."

"Okay, I'll bite." Lulu said with a sigh, knowing what Snake was doing. "Elaborate."

"Yevon is a religion. It's an all-encompassing religion. Do you people worship anything other than Yevon?"

"No. Yevon's all there ever has been." Wakka said.

"Doesn't that seem a little mysterious to you? I might be wrong, but back on Earth we have religion as well. Several, in fact. Some proponents of these religions seek to control the people to further their own ideals through certain ceremonies and rules that are born out of misinterpretations of the belief itself. They typically involve money."

"Yeah, I felt like I was in a church the moment I entered that temple where we got Ifrit." Otacon said.

"People flock to religion primarily out of their fear of death, if you ask me." Snake went on. "They become dependent on it to resign themselves to some glorious land free of problems once they get through with this one if they behave in a certain manner. That's what allows them to be so easily manipulated."

"Snake, there's a spot called the Farplane where people can actually visit with the deceased. I've told you that before, ya?" Wakka said. "If you're looking for proof that our beliefs are real, then there you have it."

"I'm not saying that Yevon itself is a bad religion or that it's fake. I'm saying that the priests within it are bad. And besides, maybe there's more to the Farplane than the religion. Perhaps it just works that way because of magic."

"I'm not so sure about that." Lulu said.

"You write off anything else that's too hard to explain with logic by saying it's magic."

"It is enough to know that Seymour is crooked, but to believe that everyone on Spira has been spending their lives manipulated by the people they trust? I can't quite accept that." Lulu said.

"Why not? It happened on Earth." Snake said.

"If that is indeed the case, what can we do about it?" Lulu asked.

"We could try and expose it."

"Are you serious?"

"I can't blame you if you don't want to help. I could always just do it myself after our journey is over with." Snake said. "I've done this sort of thing before."

"You should spend some more time talking about this with Auron." Tidus said. "He'd really enjoy debating it back and forth with you."

"Debating?" Lulu said with a scoff. "More like agreeing."

"One other thing. Who exactly are those knights?"

"They're of an order known as the Crusaders. All of them are very skilled in battle. Most of the time they help out places that have become too heavily infested with Fiends. Other times they enforce the law or protect priests. They're not owned by anyone so their activities are varied."

"So they're a PMC?"

"I don't know what that is." Lulu replied.

"They work for whoever has the money?"

"Yes, but sometimes they do work for free. Many aspire to join them, but there can only be so many."

Once they had helped about fifty people, they were allowed to leave but were assured if they wanted to come back later they were more than welcome to do so. The whole team proceeded to the front of the temple, which was buried underneath a bunch of boulders. Upon sensing that it had guests, the temple removed the boulders from the entrance and made them swirl around itself through the power of electricity. It looked just like some some fancy European techno bar. Another summoner accompanied by a few Guardians came walking out. When he spotted Yuna, he took it upon himself to approach her.

"Lady Summoner, it is good to see you. I am Isaaru." he proclaimed.

Snake blinked and looked at the man a little closer. He sounded exactly like Raiden. Their tones and inflections were different, but it was essentially the same voice. Snake looked over at Otacon, who grinned and nodded in response. Raiden was visibly perplexed at this anomaly, but chose to remain silent. His two Guardians looked like family. One was barely thirteen while the other looked to be a few years younger than Isaaru. They gave Yuna's Guardians the Yevon salute.

"It is nice to meet you, Isaaru." Yuna said.

That was about the five hundredth time she'd greeted someone like that, but Yuna generally meant it when she said it.

"I've heard that your journey has been quite interesting." Isaaru remarked.

"It has not been quite as laid back as many of the previous pilgrimages." Yuna said.

"It's one for the books, I'm sure." Issaru said. "Have you been warned?"

"About what?"

"The Al-Bhed are apparently planning to kidnap the summoners. Haven't you already been abducted by them once before?"

"Yes, but my Guardians rescued me."

"I see. It's something to keep in mind, though. Rin's checkpoints might not be entirely safe. Be on your guard."

"Do you know why they're kidnapping summoners?" Snake asked.

"Obviously so that they cannot complete their pilgrimage."

"What? Are they going to try and kill Sin themselves again?"

"Perhaps." Isaaru said. "In any case, I am in a bit of a hurry. I want to be ahead of Dona. While this is not a race, we can't let someone like her defeat Sin." Isaaru said. "If she does, she'll become even more arrogant."

"I don't think she has it in her." Snake said.

"What a terrible thing to say." Isaaru said with a wink. "Anyway, I assume our paths may cross once again before the journey is over, Yuna. May we meet again."

Yuna nodded. Isaaru and his Guardians left as Yuna entered the Cloister of Trials. The innards of the temple were completely centered on electricity. This one was more than a little tricky right from the beginning. Snake quickly got a headache. It took everyone fifth-teen minutes to figure out the damn pedestal room. There really was no point to these idiotic puzzles. Lulu had said they were meant for team building, but the priests probably used them just to mess with the summoner's heads. Before it was all said and done, Raiden attempted to steal one of the orbs from the temple. Snake saw him pocket the orb in his bag, but he didn't say anything. When he took one step out of the cloister, his body lit up with electricity. Soaring bolts danced around his body as he had the living daylights shocked out of him. Ocelot's dark heart would have sparkled with joy. Raiden fell back into the first room of the cloister, still twitching violently. The ball in his bag rolled out and kept rolling until it arrived in the room it belonged in.

Once outside, Snake asked Yuna if they could see the Aeon. She still had enough energy in her to perform the summoning correctly. After an interesting dance that ended with her striking a circular barrier, an electric unicorn jumped out and allowed itself to be observed.

"Oh, great." Snake said. "A fucking pony."


	14. Chapter 13 : Smoke In the Water

**Chapter 13 : Smoke In The Water – Rescue Mission Number 2.**

Tidus was lying down in the grass gazing up at the sky outside the bar adjoining a dock while he and the rest of the team waited for the Hypello to ready their blue elephant with the crazy straw nose.

"Why don't they just use boats or a bridge to cross that river instead of Dumbo?" Snake asked.

He was in the open bar with the rest of the team and currently spiking his incredibly tasty exotic fruit juice drink with a bottle of vodka he had purchased from the barkeep. Snake had already passed his initial limit and was now in a stupor when he finally got pissed off enough at the vaguely lizard-like midgets to question their way of life and why Spira let them live. Currently he was dressed in the aqua vector pattern as they would be traveling across a lake.

"I dunno, how come everything you drink has booze in it if it's not water?" Wakka asked.

"Because I'm a raging alcoholic. At least I have an excuse. What's there's?" Snake inquired again as he lit a cigarette.

"Hey, that's the way it's always been, ya? No sense in getting so worked up about it. Besides, the lake's too large to build a bridge across. Who wants to walk for a mile when you can ride the Shoopuf?" Wakka said.

"Why the hell do you end every other sentence with ya? Are you retarded, or something?"

"It's just the way I talk. You sound a little funny to me, ya?" Wakka caught himself and sighed. "Damn!"

"Auron, how about another story?" Lulu asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

Snake was getting drunk again and that obviously meant his tolerance was being lowered. Perhaps if Auron started talking, Snake would get distracted enough to take his hands off of his knife and stop looking at Wakka the way he was.

"Jecht used to drink a lot. Even more than you do, Snake."

"I beg your pardon?" Snake demanded rhetorically.

"I remember what got him to stop. He thought the Shoopuf was a Fiend and attacked it. Jecht never drank again."

Snake began snapping his fingers rapidly to get the barkeeps attention.

"Do you have any Al-Bhed hooch juice?" Snake asked her, feeling rather daring at the moment.

"You mean the Ruulr Ziela liqueur?" the woman asked, pulling out a bottle for him to examine.

The color was different, but the labeling was the same. A picture of some grapes hung beneath the anchored gibberish that was apparently the language of the Al-Bhed. Snake spun the bottle around in one hand and examined the liquid for a moment before putting it on the counter and sliding it over to her.

"Yeah, this stuff. What flavors does it come in?"

"Quite a few, but we only have four blends available at the moment. Fortunately, they're the most popular. I can give you strawberry, grape, blue raspberry, or cinnamon."

"Cinnamon?" Snake exclaimed.

"Yes, cinnamon."

"I'll take eight! Make each of these assholes a blue margarita while you're at it."

She pulled out the three full bottles of cinnamon flavored Ruulr Ziela that she had, which Snake received for free quite gleefully. The woman then used some fancy antics to mix his friends the drink he'd requested while he poured some of the cinnamon Al-Bhed liqueur into his fruity concoction that no longer tasted like anything other than pure alcohol. Meanwhile, Otacon was over at the souvenir stand examining some stuffed animals with Raiden. They spotted a tonberry plushie that they bought specifically so they could burn it later. Yuna was nearby talking to a bunch of tourists while Kimahri watched over her like a hawk with his arms crossed and his demeanor as stoic and unwavering as ever.

"Why the hell does every single damn person we meet on this trip stop to talk to her?" Raiden complained. "We were on that Mi'ihen Highroad for longer than we should have been because we kept running into so many of those goons."

"Like that old dude with the books?" Otacon replied. "He's over by the weapons shop right now, you know."

"As a matter of fact, I do know. Are they following us?"

"Seems like it. I wouldn't pay any attention to them. The only person who's been trouble so far is Dona."

Otacon smiled. Honestly, Snake and the others could do as they pleased because he was having a great time here in Spira. Raiden's occasional bouts of whining got a little annoying, but he didn't allow it to distract him very much. Otacon's allergies had cleared up from the unusually fresh air brought about by Spira's lack of industrialization and his pale complexion was now slightly tanned. He'd grown a light beard as he'd always wanted to experiment with that sort of thing and he was fully exploring this fascinating world and its quirky people and fascinating cultures at every opportunity he could get. Plus he got to carry Snake's brutal AK-47 around as protection from the monsters and that was just icing on the cake for him. Otacon was having second thoughts about going back to Earth where he belonged. Hopefully whatever gate they found wouldn't be a one-way trip.

Raiden's girlish complexion seemed incapable of tanning and was constantly being treated by the potions and herbs he bought at the item shops when he wasn't borrowing them from Yuna or Lulu. Whenever he finished bathing in the shower-like contraptions most of the inn's had, it smelled like a hussy had been in there. He was quite popular with the ladies and had no trouble remaining faithful to Rose, who he regretted shoving out of the time field. In fact, Raiden was so torn up over that simple mistake that he brought it up at least once a day. She would have loved this place. He still couldn't find his watch. All was not entirely doom and gloom for him, though. He enjoyed the wide open spaces and luscious scenery more than anyone else in the group. It was a far cry from New York and the ravaged battlefields he'd traversed as a child.

"So what do you think of our traveling companions?" Raiden asked, trying to start up a conversation as he was getting bored from waiting.

"I've been in worse company." Otacon replied, remembering how he was bullied and intimidated by the FOX-HOUND squad on Shadow Moses. "Lulu can be moody but gives good advice, Wakka is a good laugh and a real pal albeit too religious, Tidus is essentially you with a better attitude, Kimahri is Kimahri, and Yuna is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. Of course, I've also got you and Snake to remind me that I have a real life I'm going to have to return to at some point."

"What about Auron?"

"Oh, him? Might as well be another one of Snake's brothers, as far as that goes. He's cold but essentially he is also a good person."

"Yeah. That's pretty much what I think about them." Raiden said. "They're the kind of people you wish you could meet more often."

Otacon nodded in agreement. As they turned around to leave the shop, they saw Tidus heading towards them.

"The Shoopuf's ready." he said. "We're all waiting for you guys to show up."

When they arrived at the docks, Otacon began feeling somewhat nervous. He could have spotted Snake's drunken swagger from a mile away. Snake was pretty loaded and even had a bottle out that he occasionally drank from. Public intoxication was apparently not against the law. Even if it was, Snake would still be drinking openly if he felt like it. Nobody really seemed to care. At least Snake wasn't at the point where he needed to lean on anyone for support. That was a good sign. When he heard the three men approaching, Snake turned around and greeted them.

"Hey, guys." Snake said with a grin.

Kimahri had been standing next to Snake but after his breath hit the Ronso, he quickly covered up his nose and moved ten feet away from him. The smell hit the three newcomers next. Otacon's glasses tilted so he had to push them back up again. Raiden bared his teeth in disgust. Tidus gave Snake a wink and a nod.

"What's the matter, Kimahri?" Snake asked.

"Snake smell like dead man." Kimahri complained.

"Dave, make sure you don't make an ass of yourself." Otacon warned.

"Hal, I'm fine." Snake assured him.

"How much did you have?" Raiden asked.

"Counting drinks is for recovering alcoholics and women. As far as I can tell, I've had more than you two pussies could stand. Collectively."

"Could you please spray yourself with this?" Yuna asked, handing him a bottle of green liquid she had purchased for him.

"I believe I think I can do that for you." Snake said.

"Yes, please do." Lulu insisted as she tried to avoid tearing up so her mascara wouldn't run.

Snake squirt himself with some powerful cologne that made his body smell manlier. He immediately approved of the scent and stumbled over to where Yuna had gotten it from and bought five bottles, freely giving two of them to Otacon and Raiden. Wakka and Lulu held on to Snake as he grasped the chain for support while a purple platform lifted them up to the Shoopuf's back. The compartment they found themselves in was lavishly decorated and had plenty of pillows to accommodate the incredibly comfortable sofas built on the creatures back. Snake took an entire one all for himself and laid on his back while the others picked their own spots. Wakka tossed him a couple of pillows so he could prop his head up.

The evening sun cast a warm glow on the Moonflow as the Shoopuf trudged across the river. Snake was having so much fun that he decided to stop drinking and put his bottle away. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket and filled in a checkbox with 'ride an elephant' listed beside it. This spiked Auron's curiosity. Snake smiled as he stuffed the list back in his pocket.

"What was that, Snake?" Auron asked.

"A list of things to do before I die. I've kept it for years as it's something that has always helped me out when I'm feeling down."

"Really?" Lulu inquired.

"Yeah. Sometimes when life seems really shitty all I do is take a look at the list and it helps me realize how much good there is in the world."

"Would you mind sharing some of your achievements?" Tidus asked.

"One was for a trip to Ester Island. Another was to spend two weeks living in a remote forest. I've even gone spelunking and scuba dived near Chuuk. That was sure fun."

"Any one of them that you're particularly proud of?" Wakka asked.

"Well, there's this special medal they give out in the United State's army that I received about ten years ago. I don't like to talk about it too much. Riding an elephant is a close second, though."

"Nice contrast." Otacon said.

"Why, thank you, Hal." Snake said.

The mixture of the relaxing atmosphere and highly potent alcohol eventually overtook Snake. He dozed off into a state where he was between sleeping and being somewhat awake. The trip went on for quite some time with nobody paying much attention to him. Instead, they all conversed without his usual participation. Tidus noticed that they were floating above a city and Lulu instantly launched into a long lecture about how it was once an ancient machina city that had sunk long ago. Wakka used this as a defense for his misguided religious beliefs. The debate about nuclear weapons and forms of governments that followed wasn't what roused Snake from his light slumber. Hushed voices speaking in Al-Bhed directly beneath them caught his attention. He sprung into action immediately and had his gun in hand seconds before he aimed over the side. Nobody was there. Perhaps he had just been imagining things. Then again, if Snake had always relied on that adage, he'd have been dead years ago. His sudden energetic offensive maneuver silently cut off everyone in mid-sentence, leaving them all frozen humorously with their mouths open and fingers extended to enforce what they had been saying.

This lapse presented the Al-Bhed on the other side of the Shoopuf the chance to enact his plan. Snake turned around just as he grabbed Yuna from behind. She reacted accordingly by trying to get her knife out, but she wasn't quick enough and wound up getting pulled overboard.

"Yuna!" Tidus roared.

He and Wakka both jumped overboard. Snake was about to follow them when Auron suddenly stood up and blocked him from jumping into the water so rashly.

"Wait a minute!" he said. "Look before you leap."

"How long have you been waiting to pull that one out?" Raiden asked.

Snake gazed into the watery depths and could faintly see a massive contraption swimming around mischievously. At its head was a protective bubble that Yuna was being forced into by the Al-Bhed who had kidnapped her. When the two Guardians managed to reach the machina, they began fighting with it. The Al-Bhed's swum to safety and let their machine do the work.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but your guns won't work underwater. I think it's best to leave this battle to them." Auron said.

"To hell with that. I've got a better idea."

Snake pulled his face paint kit out from his bag and smeared some brown paint beneath his eyes.

"We're going for a swim, Hal!"

Before Otacon could scamper to the other side of the Shoopuf, Snake grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, rubbed some brown face paint on his cheeks, and hauled the man into the water with him. Snake left his bag behind so that none of his equipment would get wet. The remaining members of Yuna's party all turned their heads toward Raiden, who was digging through his bag in search of something that might help him breath underwater. He pulled out a blue wig that looked exactly like his regular hair and placed it around his head. Raiden then made sure his blade was strapped securely across his back. With a sigh, he hopped up on the railing and dove headfirst into the lake. Otacon wrestled free from Snake's grip and swam up to the surface to get a deep breath before he had to go do some machina disassembly. He thanked fate that he had been on the swim team during college and hoped he could still hold his breath for as long as he once was able to.

Snake noticed that there was something different about the water. It was very easy to swim through. He found himself traveling faster than he should have with half as much effort. He reached Yuna in no time at all, who was pounding furiously at the bubble that encased her. Tidus, Raiden, and Wakka kept the machine busy while Otacon swam behind the contraption to examine it. The bubble Yuna was trapped in seemed to be full of air, which was good news for everyone. There didn't seem to be a way to free her that didn't involve destroying the machine. The bubble was molded into the machine itself and impossible to detach, although Snake did try wiggling it a bit to no avail. Snake joined Otacon at the back of the machina. He believed that the vehicle was being piloted. Otacon used his fingers to feel for a crease and discovered the hatch. After finding it, he tapped it so Snake would notice.

Snake quickly swam to the surface and took a deep breath of air.

"Auron!" he shouted.

The Shoopuf wasn't that far away and had stopped advancing. Auron quickly leaned over the side and spotted Snake waving erratically at him from the water.

"Open my bag and take out the thing that looks like a brick! Pull it in half and then pull that piece in half. Right next to the brick should be a red stick. Put that in the brick and make sure it's in there good!"

Auron decided it was appropriate to use his other hand in this situation and quickly ruffled through Snake's bag in search of the brick. He pulled out a brown slab made of clay that weighed about a pound. The red sticks were right next to them alongside what he presumed was the mechanism that caused them to function. Auron prepared the clay as he had been instructed and then shaped it into a ball that he hurled at Snake, who caught it.

"Standby!" Snake shouted.

He swam back to where Otacon was and put the piece of C4 where the scientist told him to. Snake was able to guess from the size that it would be just enough to blow open the hatch. If it had been the whole slab, Yuna wouldn't even be fish food. Raiden, Tidus, and Wakka were getting quite tired from the looks of it. With the C4 stuck into place, Snake and Otacon swam up to the surface. Auron pointed at the detonator he held in his hand.

"Use it!" Snake ordered.

The three Guardians still underwater were treated to a muted explosion that blew away the back of the machina. Whoever was inside took the opportunity to escape after disengaging Yuna's prison bubble. The heavy hunk of metal slowly sunk into the depths of the lake while Yuna swam towards Tidus. After reuniting, they headed towards the shore as it was close enough for them to reach without having to be scooped up by the Shoopuf. They had attracted quite a crowd at the other station and the people were all too happy to curse the Al-Bhed and praise them as heroes when Tidus told them what had happened because they wouldn't stop asking. While everyone took a moment to relax after the battle and gawk at Raiden's blue wig, Snake went looking around for the pilot who had escaped. Just as he expected, he spotted a girl dressed in a familiar set of leather clothing sprawled out on the bank less than a mile away.

He flipped her over and checked to see if she was breathing by putting his ear up against her chest.

"Get your hairy head off of my boobs, you perv!" she cried.

Rikku slapped at him until he moved aside and then stood up. Despite accusing him of being a perv, she willingly proceeded to take off her clothes in front of him. Rikku stripped down to a second layer that was highly unique and very orange.

"Hey, I remember you! You're that cranky old goon from before." Rikku said. "Thanks a lot for blowing up that machine. I was in there, you know! You're such a bully!"

Part of the reason Snake had earned his codename was due to how quick he was. Like the animal of the same name, he struck quickly and lethally. Snake attacked her from the side and soon had his fingers cradled around her neck and her arm resting in the upper half of the hold.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Rikku demanded as she squirmed and tried vainly to swat at him with her useless hand.

"It seems to me like some little girl needs a spanking. Trying to steal the only hope the world has from certain devastation is a no-no, little missy!"

"You don't understand!" Rikku exclaimed. "I can explain!"

"You're damn right you will!"

"First, I think we really need to start over. Hi, my name is Rikku. What's yours?"

"Shut up!" Snake yelled.

He brought her to the ground and then used a plasti-cuf gun from his bag to bind her arms behind her back. That Fayth must have thought of everything.

"Woman, if you keep squirming like a whore at a confessional I'll make this worse!" he warned.

The restraint abruptly became easier on Snake.

"You're not going to hurt me, are you? I'm a nice girl, really!"

Snake didn't bother to answer as he slung Rikku over his shoulder and began carrying her back to the others. Thankfully she didn't struggle, although she did start sobbing a little. Snake pitied her about as far as he could throw her.


	15. Chapter 14 : Yuna's Story

**Chapter 14 : Yuna's Story.**

To avoid attracting a crowd, the interrogation of Rikku was held far from the Shoopuf station near the Moonflow where the pyreflies danced delicately above the surface of the water. It was a most auspicious spot for a verbal throttling. Snake made sure not to mention the fact that he knew she was an Al-Bhed because that might upset someone. Given that her tongue was somewhat loose, she might do that herself. For that reason, he had Lulu distract Wakka while the others gathered around Rikku, who he had referred to as a suspicious character to keep her real identity hidden from them at least until he started asking questions. She sat weakly on her knees with her hands bound behind her back, not daring to look anyone in the eye. Snake couldn't blame her as her irises were a dead giveaway. Tidus lifted her chin up with his hand to get a better look at her and gasped in surprise.

"Hey, I remember you!" Tidus said. "You're Rikku! She's the one who helped me out when I first got here. Can we keep her, Snake? We really need to get her out of those cuffs."

"Not so fast, Tidus." Snake said. "She was the one who was piloting that submarine."

"Technically. . ." Otacon began.

"No, Hal. Not now. I don't care enough to refer to it literally." Snake said, cutting him off. "Rikku, I can't seem to figure you out. Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"The summoner's, of course!" Rikku insisted.

"Then why were you trying to kidnap Yuna?" Snake asked.

Rikku's bottom lip quivered, a clear sign that she withholding information from him. She looked to Yuna for sympathy, who appeared to be studying Rikku as if they had met somewhere before. Snake stepped in front of her so that he was now in view and folded his arms across his chest.

"If you don't start talking, I'm going to have to get rough. Which eye do you like the best? I'll leave the _other _one in."

"Snake, wait!" Yuna cried.

She looked to see if Wakka was still distracted and he was. Lulu could certainly put a spell on people when she wanted to. Yuna briefly smiled at herself for being so witty.

"Would you mind if I had a moment alone with her?" Yuna asked.

"What, do you have a better way of getting her to talk?" Snake demanded. "We need to know what's going on, Yuna. I'm sorry, but we can't allow ourselves to show sympathy right now."

"Rikku, does the name Cid mean anything to you?" Yuna asked.

"Of course! He's my father. You know what that makes you, right?" Rikku whispered with a wink.

"I thought so. Snake, she's my cousin." Yuna said. "Let me talk to her, please?"

Snake couldn't see any resemblance between the two women aside from the wacky eyes. At least he knew where she had gotten those from. They both had the same green tint, but Yuna lacked the swirling irises. It was somewhat interesting that such traits ran in their family. Snake shrugged and gave her a nod. She smiled and bowed slightly. If they were indeed related, then it would be easier to trust Rikku, although there were still bleaker possibilities and Snake kept himself aware of those. Nobody seemed too excited that Yuna had suddenly revealed herself to be partially Al-Bhed. Snake had a feeling she had told everyone that before, especially Tidus. Wakka, on the other hand, was probably still in the dark.

"Snake, go get Lulu and come with me." Yuna asked. She turned to face the group. "Everyone, could you please leave us alone for a moment?"

"As you wish." Auron said.

Yuna knelt down and pulled out her knife. She used it to cut Rikku's hands free.

"Where did you get that?" Tidus asked.

"From Snake. He has quite a few of them."

"Can I have one?"

Snake threw one of his many knives into the tree Tidus was leaning on. It struck inches away from his face with a solid thud, killing the squirrel that had taken up residence inside of the trunk.

"Knock yourself out, kid."

Tidus hesitantly grabbed the hilt and tugged at the blade to get it to dislodge itself from the lumber. After calling Lulu over and walking out of earshot, Rikku felt it was safe enough to continue talking.

"So you know who I am, then." Rikku said. "It's good to know that you're familiar with your extended family."

"Which means Yuna is partially an Al-Bhed. I'm sure the priests would do cartwheels if they found out." Snake said.

"Exactly. Yuna's mother was an Al-Bhed." Lulu said. "Do not tell anyone, Snake."

"Hey, Rikku." Snake called to get her attention. "Did you see the guy with the blitzball who has his hair done up in one massive cow-lick? Yeah, don't talk to him if you can avoid it. He's crazy for Yevon."

"Okay, I'll. . .wait, does this mean I'm going with you guys?"

"I'd assume that's why we're here." Snake said.

"You weren't really going to pull my eyes out, were you?" Rikku asked.

She gave him the same helpless look she'd given Yuna. Snake wasn't moved and was slightly offended that she was trying to play him. Then again, maybe that's just how she was. Still, in order to immediately revert to such behavior, she had to have had it reinforced in the past. Snake made it a personal goal to tear that out of her by the bloody root if he had to.

"I'd have gotten you to talk if it wasn't for Yuna. I'll leave how to your imagination." Snake said.

"Don't mind him. He's just a bit overzealous in his duties as a Guardian." Lulu said.

"Snake, I think you have a right to know why I must insist that Rikku comes with us. I'm telling you this because you seem to be so vehemently against it."

"Alright. So what's your story, Yuna?" Snake asked.

"My parents met while my father was a missionary. A ship he was on crashed in the Sanubia Dessert and he wandered around for days trying to find help for the wounded crew. My mother found him near death after having been savagely ravaged by several cactuar's and took him to Home, which is the source of the Al-Bhed population."

"And I'm guessing Cid is their leader?"

"Yes. He was furious when he found out that my mother had led a man of Yevon into their city. Home is in a hidden location because the tensions between the Al-Bhed and the priesthood have always been high. My father promised Cid that he would never reveal its location and as my mother took care of him, they fell in love. He stayed with the Al-Bhed for a couple of months as he recovered, but instead of promoting the religion he found himself debating it with his hosts. I think it was because of them that he decided to become a summoner. Anyway, it came to be known that my mother was Cid's sister and that she was pregnant with me. My father used his power as a priest to wed her to him since nobody would agree to the union until much later. They then returned to the mainland together and settled in Bevelle, our capital."

Yuna was obviously somewhat saddened by her complicated past.

"Sounds like something out of a book." Snake mused. "I never knew my mother and I killed my father seconds after meeting him."

"What?" Yuna exclaimed. "Why?"

"I don't know. At the time he was a terrorist, but I've been thinking lately that I might have been misled somehow. Then again, he wasn't really my father. I'm a clone, remember? Where we come from doesn't matter, Yuna. It's what we do that makes us who we are."

"Yes." Yuna said. "I feel the same way. In Bevelle, people were always suspicious of me and my mother. I was never able to make that many friends because of my eyes and I spent most of my time reading, especially when my mother died after the ship she was on was attacked by Sin."

"Everything leads back to Sin." Snake said. "What happened when you lost your father?"

"Kimahri took care of me. He said he was on a mission given to him by my father. I didn't understand what that meant at first. Not until later. Kimahri didn't have the heart to tell me what had happened to him. It was only later that I learned of it. Kimahri took me from Bevelle and raised me in Besaid. I believe this gave him a purpose as he left his clan in shame shortly after losing his horn. In any case, I had a better life in Besaid because nobody cared about my eyes. They accepted me as I was."

"Besaid is pretty religious. I take it you were brought up by the temple."

"Yes. I also made friends with Wakka and Lulu. They adopted me as their little sister and were very protective of me. Whenever they went on an adventure of any kind they always took me along but made sure I was safe even if they were doing crazy stuff like jumping off cliffs or experimenting with substances."

"What about Cid?"

"He never was able to find her." Rikku explained. "The death of Braska traveled fast and my father launched a rescue mission to reclaim Yuna as his niece. You would think that would be easy with all the checkpoints we have set up all over Spira, but apparently Kimahri doesn't believe in shopping and instead is very productive at living off of the land. When we found out she was in Besaid, Cid chose to leave her there. A normal life was deemed preferable to living among the Al-Bhed, although we did give her a letter detailing some of the finer points of her past up until Kimahri's intervention, that is. Yuna probably recognized me from the picture of myself I had enclosed even though that was a few years ago."

"I see." Snake said. "But what about becoming a summoner? If we're not done sharing secrets, I'd like to be privy to that bit of information."

"Sin is a scourge upon mankind." Yuna began. "It has taken the people I love away from me. I'm not selfish. I don't want the same thing to happen to other people. I will defeat Sin and hopefully this time it will truly go away."

Snake took a moment to consider all of what he had been told.

"That's a nice story, but it still doesn't explain why this little minx kidnapped you."

"We were bagging them so we could get to Yuna." Rikku said.

The nervous smile of reassurance would have only fooled the dumbest of idiots.

"I don't buy that for one second." Snake said dangerously. "That's the worst lie I've ever heard and believe me when I tell you that I've heard many. All this time you could have just cruised on over to Besaid with one of those golden chickens for a quick little visit, but instead you waited for her to become a summoner before you actually did anything."

"Oh, that would have been perfect!" Rikku exclaimed. "It would have shown the temple she was half Al-Bhed."

"And I would have known that for myself if I had spent just a little longer thinking about it." Snake snapped.

"Snake, please do not forget that I am the one who is in charge of this pilgrimage." Yuna said. "You are my Guardian and the most you can do in that position is give me advice. What do you suggest we do in this situation?"

Snake was taken aback by Yuna's sudden display of authority. He could not argue with her logic as what she had said was technically correct.

"I am not against taking her along with us." Snake said. "If you trust her, that's good enough for me because I don't see her as much of a threat. However, she did try to kidnap you for a reason you don't want her to disclose. Instead of seeking the answer to that question, you are more interested in rekindling your relationship with a long lost cousin who is part of a conspiracy that threatens you."

"Snake, your services as my Guardian have proved to be very useful. I hold you in high regard for them. Believe me, I really do. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to disagree with you on this. Rikku comes with us regardless of what she tried to do. Please do your best to get along with her."

Rikku stood up and gave Snake a pat on the back.

"I knew our paths would cross again! Fate is such a mischievous mistress."

"That indeed she is." Snake said as he brushed off the area Rikku had touched.

"What's the matter, afraid I'll give you cooties?"

"I'm afraid my eyes will get scary like yours if you touch me." Snake said in a childish voice while covering his eyes with his hands. "How many times did you hear that while growing up?"

"None, because I grew up among the Al-Bhed at Home in the desert! Hah!" Rikku countered victoriously. "Come on, you big bully. Let's be friends! We're going to be traveling together for quite a while, you know. That mission you mentioned when we first met involves Yuna, right? Well, so does mine! See, we already have some common ground to build on."

"Not quite, Rikku. You're still a potential threat. Until I learn for certain why you tried to kidnap Yuna, you can find someone else to play hopscotch with."

"Aww, you do like me, don't you? You just can't say it yet until you feel validated." Rikku said.

"Do you have some sort of inferiority complex?" Snake demanded.

"I think she is the one who likes you." Lulu said with a grin.

"Hey, not like that!" Rikku said. "I'm just trying to be nice, is all! I'd rather not have to be around someone who can't at least respect me."

"You can forget it, kid. I'm not playing the father figure for _another _teen-ager." Snake said distastefully. "And as far as respect goes, _show _me why I should respect you."

"Okay, here's one of your guns back." Rikku said as she dangled his M1911 in front of his face by her forefinger.

Snake gasped.

"When the hell did you. . ." Snake demanded. "Give that back!"

He snatched it from her before she could yank it back and use it as leverage for an apology. Yuna and Lulu couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune.

"I think it's time we head back." Yuna said while laughing.

When they returned, Tidus was overjoyed to learn that Rikku would be accompanying them for the remainder of the journey. The same could be said of all the other members. Even Wakka. Auron did check her eyes before agreeing with the addition. Snake knew that her origins would somehow eventually come to light through a set of disjointed and unfortunate circumstances. When that happened, Snake decided he'd be ready to defend her. After all, Wakka's hatred toward the Al-Bhed was based in religion and not by what they did on a more specific level. For now, he would watch her carefully and tighten his harness a bit so it'd be harder for her to nab things out of his bag and off of his body. A part of him believed that someone as innocent as her couldn't possibly be involved in a sinister overlapping plot against Spira, but perhaps she was being tricked into believing a lie so she would perform her duty without complaining. Besides, not all of the Al-Bhed they had encountered were bad. Rin was a fairly decent fellow he wouldn't mind having a drink with. Much like any given race, the Al-Bhed did have their bad seeds. Hopefully Rikku wasn't one of them.

Rikku seemed to have the uncanny ability to upgrade the weapons and armor that the group carried. Using raw materials, she could implement particular traits within the tools of defense. Snake didn't let her anywhere near his own guns, but she appeared to be interested in Raiden's M16. Yuna affirmed their path, which would take them through Guadosalam and past the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania. This sounded like quite the trip. Otacon seemed to be particularly interested in Rikku and he wasn't very good at hiding it. As they walked and when they battled, he could always be seen looking at her. Rikku was too much of a doofus to notice. This bothered Snake considerably. In his experience, the women Otacon took interest in had the hobby of dying very slowly. Besides, Rikku was certainly more exotic than the average American woman. His anime and video game saturated preferences practically guaranteed that he would try and shoot for a chick of her caliber.

That wasn't to say he didn't find Otacon unattractive. Hal had his own sense of ruggedness that was gradually developing as more things died around him. It was just complicated. That's all Snake could tell himself to justify his thoughts.

"Snake, when you're thinking you make this face." Rikku suddenly said.

She scowled at him deeply and rolled her eyes into the back of her skull.

"If you make that face again. . ."

"It'll gradually become permanent, right?"

"No, I'll rip it off."

"Snake!" Otacon said sharply. "That's not very nice."

And there it was. He liked her so much he'd decided to stand up to him. Hal was lucky they were such good friends with each other.

"Don't worry, I'll get him to lighten up." Rikku said.

"You're fine, Rikku." Tidus said. "That's just his way of dealing with you until he can decide its okay for him to trust you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't think you can blame him with all he's been through."

"What do you mean?"

Rikku was then told everything that Snake had told them about himself earlier. The group took turns on who was telling what and Snake didn't have a chance to verify any of the information without interrupting someone. Rikku listened attentively, which Snake thought would have been hard for her given how bubbly and energetic she was. After how he had gotten to Spira was revealed and story time had ended, Rikku immediately asked him a question.

"What's your real name?"

"John." Snake said jokingly.

"It's David." Raiden and Otacon said together.

"Damn."


	16. Chapter 15 : Dinner at Seymour's

**Chapter 15 : Dinner at Seymour's.**

How the journey to Guadosalam degenerated into a butterfly hunt was not something Snake could answer. After spending more than an hour catching the worms with wings and getting useless treasures for their effort, they finally accepted the fact that their lives would have been better had they not done that and continued onward gloomily. Eventually they did reach Guadosalam after several bouts of tiring battles and an argument over the sphere grid. The city itself was somewhat organic. Everything seemed to be hallowed out of a tree and the eerie residue the pyreflies left behind had been harnessed as a lighting source throughout several parts of the city. At least it was better than burning fuel.

"What is this?" Snake asked nobody in particular. "It's as if they live in a hive."

"The trees grow this way because of the unusual energy generated from the Farplane, which is essentially a part of the city itself." Lulu explained. "As to why the Guado decided to settle near it, I could only guess."

"The Farplane? Is that the place that Wakka mentioned?" Otacon asked.

"You can't exactly describe it accurately with words. It's more or less something you have to see for yourself in order to believe. If you're into that sort of thing, that is." Rikku replied meekly.

The team progressed through the city with the intent to restock on a few supplies and briefly visit the Farplane. While in a shop, Snake entered a restroom and switched to the tree bark camo pattern. Raiden had decided to revert back to his skull suit. The camouflage didn't look nearly as good on him as it did on Snake. They came across some jock that played for the Guado's blitzball team who was running around the city like a maniac while they explored. Snake tripped him on one of his rounds. Yuna disapproved, but Kimahri and Raiden got a good laugh out of it. It wasn't long before their visit attracted some unwanted attention. While wandering aimlessly around the city square in front of some gigantic mansion, an elderly Guado came rushing out from the house to meet them.

"Lady Yuna! It is good to see you indeed. Welcome to Guadosalam. Lord Seymour is expecting you."

"Is he?" Yuna asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"Yes! Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Tromell Guado. I serve Lord Seymour directly."

"I bet you do." Raiden said in a way that implied several connotations.

Snake and Kimahri stood in front of Yuna.

"What exactly does he want with us, slave?" Snake asked.

"It's merely nothing, I assure you. But it is urgent. You must come with me right away."

"What Seymour want, slave?" Kimahri demanded.

Tromell staggered back in intimidation at the towering blue beast and quickly changed his tone of voice to something more accompanying to make it seem as though he were not demanding anything of them.

"He merely wishes to have dinner with you." Tromell explained.

"Slave to Seymour is poor liar. Seymour act proper, but will have our company at any cost." Kimahri said.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Rikku asked. "He's offering us free food, right? He can't be all that bad."

Snake grabbed the little blue ribbon string hanging off the back of her neck. It might have been a cape, but given how Spirans dressed it could have been anything. Either way, it yanked her closer to him. Snake's back popped as he leaned over to adjust to her height.

"We'll talk later." Snake whispered directly in her ear. "For now, Seymour is bad news. Do not spaz out."

Rikku couldn't stop herself from gasping slightly as her pupils dilated in shocked surprise. Still, she played it cool and remained silent. Tromell didn't seem to notice.

"I guess we have no choice but to accept." Yuna said. "My Guardians will be with me at all times. I was recently almost abducted by the Al-Bhed, so I am a little paranoid right now."

"That is more than fine." Tromell said.

They were lead into the foyer of the mansion. The room smelled like cherries and watermelon due to all the incense placed throughout the chamber.

"Please wait here for one moment." Tromell requested. "There is but one small matter I must see to before you actually enter the dining room."

Tromell left them. The foyer was quite ghastly with tacky pictures of Seymour's relatives hung prominently on the walls beside the staircases. There was more purple in this chamber then most of them were comfortable seeing. Plenty of vases and other useless decorations littered the room. They were simply meant to show off the wealth their owner possessed. A small table with a typewriter and a spare ink ribbon was placed right next to the main entrance. As Snake examined something in the corner that looked like a mutated Venus flytrap, Rikku came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"**Dave**, _fryd fana oui dymgehk ypuid aynmean? Ec _**Seymour**_ y pyt kio, un cusadrehk? Oui caasat naymmo ibcad._"

"What did you just say to me?" Snake demanded.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you don't speak Al-Bhed." Rikku said sadly.

"Woman, I speak ten different languages. Pick one."

"The only two I know are Al-Bhed and the one you refer to as English." Rikku said.

The plant lashed out at Snake with its teeth and caught the smallest piece of his stubby beard before he pulled away. He knocked Rikku to the ground while retreating and dragged her away by her wrist. The hostile plant used one of its many noodle like appendages to try and hit him with a squirt of yellow liquid, but Snake was already out of range and not planning to go anywhere near that thing anytime soon. He helped Rikku up and started tugging at where he had been bitten.

"It's okay, it didn't get you that bad. You still look fine." Rikku assured him.

"What the hell is that thing?" Snake asked everyone in exasperated surprise.

"A baby Malboro." Auron said.

"Like the cigarette?" Snake asked.

"No. It's a plant that can grow to be ten times that size unless kept under a certain diet like this one obviously is." Lulu said.

"They're better suited to the more lavish pet owners." Auron added, his voice laced in sarcasm.

"It's a bonsai. A living bonsai." Otacon remarked.

Snake turned to Rikku.

"Now what did you say to me?" he asked.

"It's not something you'd want me to say out loud." Rikku said.

"I can be of help." Tidus interjected. "Rin gave me an Al-Bhed primer. The language is really easy once you get the hang of it."

Tidus pulled out an elaborately decorated blue book from his pocket and tapped it for emphasis.

"She wants to talk about that certain something you mentioned earlier about a certain someone." Tidus said. "I can brief her on the situation if you want me to, but my Al-Bhed isn't all that great so it may only come out as garbled trash. At least it's something."

"No, its fine!" Rikku exclaimed, quite excited to get the chance to speak in her own language to someone not of her race. "I will certainly be able to understand you."

Snake smiled. She was acting like a Japanese schoolgirl who had found a pasty nerd to talk with in Japanese at some party the nerd didn't belong at.

"Good. Do so, but not too loud, okay?" Snake requested, lowering his voice. "Someone in here may know Al-Bhed."

"Doubtful." Yuna stated. "Seymour is a Maester. The only race not represented by a Maester is the Al-Bhed. This is due to the conflicts the Al-Bhed have with Yevon. Maester's are deeply involved with the religion. He has no reason to learn that language. Whisper anyway, just in case."

Tidus and Rikku nodded.

"Oh, and Rikku?" Snake said, getting her attention. "Don't ever call me Dave again."

"Sure thing, Dave." Rikku said.

She had taken to referring to Yuna as Yunie lately, so it naturally followed she'd shorten or rape Snake's actual name at some point. Rikku also affectionately referred to their entire group as Team Yuna. Even worse, it stuck. Snake had half a mind to start calling her Rikimaru out of spite. Only his closest friends were allowed to call him Dave. For the sake of the moment, he decided to let this incident pass. After all, they were not in a spot where such information was of significant value. His real name wasn't as much of a necessary secret here as it was back at home. With a sigh, he kept an eye on the plant from across the room while Tidus explained what they had come to learn of Seymour's personality to Rikku. Snake heard his codename mentioned a few times, so he assumed that Tidus was also talking about him. Tidus had his book out the entire time and Rikku was more than happy to help him get a word right when he fumbled. Otacon was rolling his eyes and practically foaming at the mouth in jealousy.

If he was any better at reading people's body language and interpreting how relevant the tone of voice they used when speaking to one another was to how close they were in terms of a relationship, he'd realize that Tidus had a bit of a brotherly bond with Rikku. Anyone could clearly see that he had the hots for Yuna with all the things he promised they'd do together once they arrived at Zanarkand and even after the pilgrimage was over. He wasn't going to tell Otacon that, though. As for himself, Snake was pretty sure Rikku enjoyed his company so much because he was an older gentleman. She also wanted to get him to lighten up and would continue to antagonize him until she achieved that. When the two were finished, Tidus was about to put his primer away when Snake saw Otacon tentatively make a move toward him.

"Hey, Tidus." Snake called. "Mind if I check out that primer for a little while?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Tidus said as he tossed the book towards his companion.

That would teach Otacon to be fickle. Snake looked at hiswatch and noticed that Tromell had been gone for quite a long time when he suddenly reappeared at the top of the stairs. He was pushing a janitor's cart made out of pure silver.

"You may enter now." Tromell said shakily.

The team walked upstairs and entered a very large dining room packed with many different kinds of food. A large blue light illuminated the area from above. At the head of the table was a man reading an old copy of USA Today. Upon the arrival of the guests, the man lowered his paper and revealed himself as Solidus. His face had been healed but was covered in a burn scar that would take a few more sessions of intense white magic to completely heal. Now he looked even more like Big Boss and he still hadn't taken off that stupid damn muscle suit that would make him look like a complete douche at any masquerade ball. At least his tentacles were finally retracted. Maybe they were under the table so he could play with himself and eat at the same time.

"Solidus!" Snake said. "Where there's shit there's flies, I suppose. What's for dinner?"

"Vegetable soup or roast snake for starters. The main course is boiled leg of chocobo in mint sauce. It's nice, but I feel like beef tonight so I only had a little. For desert, we've got some homemade ice cream and a special fruit salad made by yours truly. Believe me when I tell you that you'll want the red tonight because it's virtually impossible to find a decent white around here! There's also some incredibly delicious sushi that I saved just for you. I had those stupid cooks make five trays of it because I'm a sucker for sushi and I know you are too."

"I wonder how?"

"I know! Aren't genetics wonderful? I bet the old man even liked sushi!" Solidus exclaimed with a hearty laugh as he flaunted a tray of sushi. "I had to teach those stupid bastards how to make this right. There's other food too, if you want some. Believe me, it's really good. Except for the cold slaw. Leave that shit alone."

Solidus spotted Raiden.

"It's Jacky boy! Don't worry, son, I didn't leave you out of the equation. I had them make you some sweet chocolate milk. You'll have to use a sippy cup because I don't think you're ready for an adult glass just yet and Seymour doesn't want any stains on his fine oak table."

"I'll show you who the adult around here is, old man!" Raiden said as he drew his gun and aimed it at Solidus' head.

Nobody else accompanied him in his advance. Raiden was left standing awkwardly with his gun primed at an unresponsive ex-president. If he were any more inclined to read into the situation more deeply, he would understand that they were being intimidated. At least that's what Solidus and Seymour wanted them to believe. Snake couldn't draw too many conclusions at this point with what he had seen and heard so far. For now, he'd have to keep his wits about him for this dance.

"If it makes you feel any better, I am completely unarmed right now. Can we not have one dinner together and eat like civilized people? Tonight is when we set aside our differences and try to negotiate our ideals!"

"We'd better hand over our weapons." Yuna said.

Yuna wanted to say a lot more, but her implications could go unspoken and still be heard. Attacking either Solidus or Seymour at this point would cause quite an incident. While Solidus had clearly displayed aggression against them earlier, it'd be fairly difficult for them to explain their reason for killing him when he wasn't making an effort to fight back. Seymour could have them arrested, especially if the two were working together. Yuna's pilgrimage would indeed be compromised if they messed up here.

"It looks like Solidus' equipment is already in here." Otacon said, peering into the bag Tromell's cart was carrying. "That includes his two swords."

"You mean those toothpicks?" Auron asked.

"Nope, it looks like he had them repaired."

"I guess I'll just have to break them again." Auron mused as a massive grin slowly spread across his face.

Everyone dunked their gear into the bag, which distended until it hit the floor due to the weight of everything in it. Yuna did not hand over her USP or knife. They still stayed hidden underneath her robe. Nobody would even think to frisk her.

"Now sit down." Solidus said. "And really Snake, have some of the sushi. Even if we are at odds with one another, you really need to try this. It's that good."

Solidus was at the head of the table. Yuna sat directly to his left. Tidus planted himself next to her with Snake right beside him. Kimahri sat to Solidus' right with Auron beside him. The others took up less strategic positions. Solidus passed the tray of sushi he'd been brandishing to Snake. It was mostly full of rolls. Snake took a finger-sized offering and ate it. The taste was superb. It was like a rainbow of delicious exploded in his mouth.

"This is pretty good." Snake said.

"So Solidus, how are you finding Spira?" Otacon asked as he picked sushi off of a different plate and partook in some of the chocobo leg.

"It's a change. Better weather, nicer people. Fresher water. Really fresh water, in fact. Usually I drink a lot of soda and I know that's bad for my weight, but I can't get enough of the water here. I think I've lost about five pounds and some of my digestive problems have cleared up. Just to clarify, I'm referring to heartburn. I couldn't eat chocolate before I came here. It would have torn my esophagus to shreds. I don't know what it is about this place. I really like it."

"Maybe you shouldn't destroy it, then." Snake said.

"I didn't say anything about that, did I?" Solidus asked.

"Your sushi can't fool any of us, Solidus." Snake said. "While delectable, it's not enough."

"Are you using our food as part of some type of morbid code? Jesus Christ, that's so Cold War! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Just come right out and say it." Solidus shouted.

"Why did you attack us earlier?" Snake asked. "I want to hear your lie since you're in such a good mood."

"You are going to spoil my appetite and believe me, I could eat this whole table by myself!" Solidus exclaimed.

"Try not to miss the food." Auron said.

Even Kimahri choked on what he was eating after that slam had been uttered. Everyone else quietly snickered to themselves. Tidus turned beat red and tried hiding his face under the table with Yuna.

"Had I known then what I know now, I would not have attacked you. Just think of it as a way of testing to see how well you've developed. I was your very own punching bag and you beat the shit out of me quite well." Solidus explained. "I'm sorry, I've always had an itchy trigger finger and a short temper, but I'm willing to put all that behind me if you are."

His voice held no deceit. If he was lying, he was doing it better than what Snake could detect.

"You threw me off of a cliff." Yuna reminded him.

"Yes, and that little trick you did with your Aeons shows how good you are at using them. I kept that show just between us, by the way." Solidus said with a wink. "Besides, I had no idea you were a summoner. Okay, we're done with conspiracies for now and you'll have to wait thirty minutes after we eat to bring one up again."

"Then let's get back to how you are finding Spira." Lulu said as she drank from a cup of wine.

"Thank you, lady who fried my face. You are very polite and well mannered. Getting back to the topic at hand, I could happily spend the rest of my days here." Solidus proclaimed.

"Really?" Snake asked, hoping to have one last threat to world peace and dastardly relative to worry about.

"Yes, I just might. Maybe it's because I'm getting old. You are too. Why, in just a few more years you might look exactly like me."

"Minus the burn scar?" Auron asked.

"I'm working on getting this thing removed." Solidus said, gesturing at the mess of scared flesh. "It's not just there, either. It's all over my body, thanks to you people. I look like a California raisin underneath this suit. But I'm over that. The point is you might find yourself having the same sentiments as I do some day."

"So I'm going to go crazy and try to take over the world as well when I reach a certain age? I didn't know it worked like puberty." Snake mocked.

"Such an inclination is encoded into the DNA of Big Boss from which we were derived."

"It's true that both of us have been betrayed by those we trust. That much was left up to circumstance. Our proficiency in combat? Surely it is because of our heritage. Our personal decisions in life? Those are up to us. You choose your fate, Solidus. While you can go ahead and argue that there is a latent trait in all of Big Boss' clones that when triggered causes them to begin having insatiable urges to overthrow the government, I think you'd just be making excuses. For example, Big Boss smoked cigars. I can't stand cigars. I still smoke, but I do it differently. I am Big Boss, but I do it differently. Get it?"

"But I love cigars!" Solidus insisted. "And how did _you_ know that he loved cigars? You're not supposed to have that sort of information!"

"That's a secret. Don't take it too personally. My point is that I think you're just allowing yourself to be chained by fate and to be ruled by your genes."

"Excuse me." Rikku interrupted, clearing her throat to insert herself into the conversation as she strummed her fingers across the tabletop. "I'm part of a group that has been experimenting with cloning for quite some time. Care to share a few tips or tricks, maybe please?"

"Well, how are you doing it?" Solidus asked as he slung his arm around his chair and faced Rikku comfortably.

"I think we've got the basic specs down, but all of our subjects die shortly after birth."

"How old is the thing you're trying to clone?"

"Pretty old, but it is truly a one of a kind chocobo."

"Let's put it this way. I want to clone you. How old you are?"

"Fifth-teen." Rikku replied.

"If I cloned something from you, it would also be genetically fifth-teen years old even though it was just born. Try using a younger subject if you can. The older the subject, the more degraded the DNA will be."

"My, you are all certainly so talkative." Seymour observed. "There's nothing like a dinner among friends, is there?"

He came walking into the room from a door behind Solidus and sat at the opposite end of the table. Everyone immediately stopped eating and became a lot more cautious at the mere inclusion of his presence. While Solidus was quite fun to converse with, Seymour didn't have quite as much charisma.

"Oh, shit." Solidus muttered with a heavy sigh.

"Solidus, have you told Snake about Spira's exciting new find?"

The ex-president turned to address the younger half of himself.

"When Sin sucked us up whatever that was and used its powers to blast us here, I landed right outside the Farplane. Seymour and the others found me and seemed to be particularly interested in this."

He slapped an MO disk on the table. Floppy disks were such impractical methods of storage these days. Jump drives were the way to go. Snake had seen this disk once before and he knew what it contained without having to ask.

"It was quite difficult to get the information off of that disk." Seymour mused. "Luckily I have a few older gadgets that were up to the task."

"You're giving them Metal Gear?" Snake asked.

"That and a few other toys, specifically the Tengu Commando suits and a few guns."

"In exchange for what?" Snake demanded.

"A way home." Solidus responded. "You think we can just get back to Earth in a spaceship? Think again, twinkle toes!"

"You heartless bastard!" Otacon exclaimed. "How could you give Metal Gear to a religious cult?"

"If they want to build one, that's their business." Solidus answered calmly. "I'm merely offering Spira a chance to protect itself from its enemies."

Rikku appeared to be getting very nervous.

"Metal Gear is a bargaining tool, Solidus. That's the nature of nuclear weapons." Snake said. "If they decide to make one, it will be for one of two reasons. Either they are making them for you or someone else is making them to further their own ideals."

"Kind of like how if one plan won't work, they will use the other instead." Auron thought aloud. "How deviously practical."

"Yevon wants to use it as a way of permanently destroying Sin." Seymour said dully, as if this didn't interest him. "You've been in the company of Yuna, so I assume you already know that it comes back. You're also familiar with how the Final Summoning works. Removing the summoner from that might help avoid a few complications."

"What do you mean?" Snake asked as he narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Don't be quite so ignorant." Seymour requested. "This Metal Gear will bring hope to the people. If it cannot defeat Sin, then we are truly at a loss. It is of no interest to me as I have other theories. Solidus and I figured we would let you know about this as Yuna seems to be the key summoner destined to defeat Sin."

"You're asking us to join you." Auron said abruptly, cutting to the chase.

"In a way." Seymour said. "It would certainly be mutually beneficial."

"Solidus, can you not see the holes in this partnership?" Auron asked. "Then again, I suppose you've had it arranged so that everything will work out for both of you one way or the other. Our answer is no. We will continue with the pilgrimage the way it has always been done. And who knows? With the luck we've been having so far, we just might find our own variation."

"What are you talking about?" Solidus asked.

"I'm not your babysitter." Auron said. "Seymour is. Why don't you ask him?"

Solidus and Seymour seethed toward Auron's general direction.

"What about the Tengu armor and such?" Raiden asked.

"We'll give them to the Crusaders." Seymour said. "I'm sure they'd be thrilled."

"How quickly can you build an army?" Snake scoffed.

"Very quickly with a factory of people running on haste." Seymour said.

Lulu slammed her glass of wine down on the table.

"That's dangerous." she said sharply.

Seymour shrugged.

"Give a man enough money and he'll work under any conditions." Seymour said. "But I've made sure that the working conditions are very humane. If someone can't take the strain, they can go home for the day."

"So you're not using magic constantly?" Lulu asked.

"And we're not using too much of it. We're still within reason and there's plenty of volunteers still willing to give attacking Sin another chance."

"What's a Metal Gear?" Rikku asked. "It would be nice to know so we might have the chance to actually understand what you are all talking about."

"Metal Gear is a walking tank that can be modified to traverse any field regardless of terrain." Otacon explained. "It's a system that's been in the works since the sixties and it's been continuously evolving into more dangerous models. As far as offensive weapons go, Metal Gear is at the top of the list due to its versatility. It can also be quite inexpensive when built correctly without sacrificing efficiency. Anyone who's ever had one has misused it."

Raiden grunted and began coughing violently.

"Brain freeze." he mumbled.

He had been eating ice cream and continued once his head cold subsided.

"Is that all you need to discuss with us?" Yuna asked. "If so, then we'd best be on our way. I do not like the sound of Metal Gear and I think it would be wise if you used your power as a Maester to stop its production if it has already begun, Seymour. Solidus is also a shady character and you would do best not to associate yourself with him."

"Of course, Lady Yuna. There are certainly more orthodox ways of defeating Sin, aren't there?"

Seymour snapped his fingers and in a flash the entire room darkened, yet everyone could still see each other as if it were well lit. The Maester stood up and gestured for everyone to do the same. In less than a minute, they were hovering over a replica of a city grander than New York at night. All the lights were lit equally and there appeared to be no slums. The streets were wide enough to perfectly accommodate the large population. A vast ocean bordered the enormous metropolitan. Tidus' face lit up in recognition.

"Zanarkand?" he asked.

Snake was stumbling something fierce what with all the spinning and spiraling. The view abruptly changed from flying over the city to diving down one of the streets. To Snake, it looked like Shibuya Crossing but only more grand in scale and with hundreds more people. A notice that the Zanarkand Abes had won the championship was flashing across the enormous television screen above them. People from all walks of life were out in droves celebrating. Snake breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped moving and fell on his rear, sweating profusely and trying to keep his lunch in. He pulled out his canteen and drank from it. The earlier fake sensations brought on by the simulated movement still wouldn't leave him. He closed his eyes until he could regain a sense of balance and opened them again. Snake kept his gaze centered on the horizon and intended to follow it in the direction of travel should they move again to alleviate his nausea. While the colors and scenery were positively euphoric, he didn't want to hurl in front of his captivated teammates. He typically didn't get motion sickness, but everyone had a limit.

Otacon and Rikku were so caught up in the simulated reality that they began dancing with everyone. Thus was there first genuine chance at bonding with one another. Snake belched and felt his stomach slam up against his liver and crush into his diaphragm. Tidus offered him a potion, but he gestured that he didn't want one. Raiden helped a group of people tip over a vehicle painted in the colors of the opposing team. This did appear to be some sort of virtual reality as he could communicate with his new friends. They then ran away together to get drunk at a karaoke bar. Auron was adjusting his sunglasses while tears welled up in Tidus' eyes as he took in the scene. Everyone was so distracted by the experience that Seymour managed to squeeze into Yuna and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Yes. This is indeed Zanarkand. The wondrous machina city as it looked one thousand years ago today. She once lived here."

"Who?" Yuna felt forced to ask.

"Lady Yunalesca."

The scene switched to that of a woman's bedroom chamber via mosaic fading. If it had been another cruise, Snake would have been out for the count. A scantily dressed woman rested on an elaborate bed. Raiden was nowhere to be seen.

"She was the first person who ever defeated Sin. Did you not inherit her name?"

"It was my father who named me." Yuna said.

"Either way, Lady Yunalesca did not defeat Sin alone. It took an unbreakable bond of love to truly defeat Sin."

A man walked past Snake and began making out with the chick much in the same way Raiden and Rose typically did in the theater. The scene faded into a ravaged wasteland where great buildings had once stood. They quickly began to rebuild themselves like someone was having a heyday with Sim City 2000. In a minute, the city was restored to its former glory. Tidus seemed to be somewhat skeptical of this new development as the painfully obvious Neo Zanarkand felt somewhat alien to him. It was as though the people of Spira now had been advanced by a type of technology far greater than anything they currently had. He didn't like it. Tiny Metal Gear's patrolled the streets like Deus Ex : The Invisible War had just become a reality. Otacon recognized them as the Gekko prototype and felt his blood go cold. Unbeknownst to Hal's knowledge, the people were still happier. A calendar appeared on the television display and began to fast forward through weeks, months, and eventually years. Ten years passed in the blink of an eye with the activity of the populace taking on the general effect of blurred bits of energy. Twenty years passed. Sin was nowhere to be seen. Auron gave Seymour a look that would have caused any other man's spleen to jump out through their back in an explosion of gore upscaled to 1080p.

He whispered something in Yuna's ear that made her gasp sharply and back away from him in fear. Seymour did not allow this to interrupt his lavish performance. The world around them slowly dimmed until they were returned to the dining room inside Seymour's funky mansion. Tidus helped Snake get back up on his feet. Raiden was playing an air guitar until Lulu smacked him upside the head and brought him back to reality.

"Yuna, what's wrong?" Auron demanded.

"He. . .he asked me to marry him!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Snake yelled.

Snake began advancing toward Seymour with the intent to physically stand up to him. This included but was not limited to getting all up in Seymour's face, slamming two fingers repeatedly into his trachea to make a point, and spitting in his eyes. Typically for Snake this was a precursor to a fight and nobody needed a degree to figure that one out. Kimahri immediately jumped in front of him and barred Snake with one massive arm in order to restrain him. Solidus helped by lashing out with his tentacle arms and threatening to push Snake with them if he broke free from Kimahri.

"Snake's right, Seymour. You know what Yuna must do." Auron remarked.

"Of course. Summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira. I believe this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. Yuna could certainly do that with my help."

Auron showed Seymour his back.

"Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing." Auron stated.

"You just want to get into her pants!" Otacon said.

"Yeah, pervert!" Rikku pitched in. "Yunie's too good for you!"

"I want nothing so dishonorable!" Seymour shouted. "My proposal holds a higher purpose and there's no need to answer right away. Please think it over."

"We will do so. Seymour, your date is over." Auron said spitefully.

He marched out of the room. This guaranteed that his companions would eventually follow. While this was Yuna's pilgrimage, Auron seemed to carry quite a bit of weight in some of the key decisions due to his veteran status as a Guardian and his uncanny insight. Seymour watched him as he went, wishing that his glare could poison the man.

"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply." he said with a smile.

"Damn it, Snake." Solidus cursed. "I guess I'll see you later."

The two men left the room together through the door Seymour had entered, probably to go sit somewhere and talk about how the dinner went while giggling. Snake's opportunity to speak his mind was slowly fading, but try as he might he couldn't get past Kimahri.

"Step aside!" Snake said.

"Kimahri always say you must cross river before telling crocodile it has bad breath."

"I've heard that before and it's still a stupid proverb!"

Now that they were alone in the room, Yuna's squad followed after Auron as they had nothing better to do. Raiden and Wakka bagged some of the food so they could have a midnight snack. Kimahri got good hold on Snake that he didn't release until they were outside. He then stood in front of the entrance to the mansion and swatted at Snake when he got too close. Auron was waiting outside for them and his twisted expression suggested that he'd never accept an invitation to a party with Seymour ever again.

"Auron, I had intended to visit the Farplane while I was here." Yuna began. "But I'm very tired right now. If you don't mind, I want to get some sleep and then go there tomorrow before journeying onward."

"I don't see a problem with that." Auron said. "Let's head for the inn."

**X**

Tidus was up late again staring at the ceiling with thoughts rushing through his head. He couldn't shake the dinner from his mind. Snake had a one-sided shouting match with everyone in the recreation room of the inn a few hours ago. His rage was incurred by Seymour's balls and Solidus' overbearing unspoken intimidation of them. To Snake, that's all the dinner was. One massive bout of futile coercion that only made matters worse when it ended. In the midst of his shouting, Rikku and Otacon had a quiet conversation about Metal Gear while they played chess together. It took Auron one sentence to calm Snake down. His sunglasses were just that awesome. Done with blowing steam, Snake reaffirmed his mission and admitted to being fed up with complications. He tossed the bottle he had been drinking from into a trash can hard enough to shatter it and stalked off to bed. While everyone tried to clear their heads through the various offerings the recreation room had, Kimahri kept watch outside of Yuna's bedroom. She hadn't set foot outside of it since they arrived.

Tidus' thoughts drifted to Auron and how he handled himself at the banquet and in general. The man knew more than what he was saying. That much was for certain. Nobody dared to deny it. Not even Auron. He was the one who had told Tidus that Sin was his father and he still didn't know what to make of that. Probability suggested that when asked, he'd be cryptic in his reply. Still, he felt the urge to do so. At the very least he wanted to see if anyone was still up. Kimahri was still in place outside of Yuna's room. Tidus could have sworn he heard muffled crying escaping through the doorway. He thought about it and decided now might not be the best time to try and comfort Yuna. Tidus neared the room Auron was occupying and could hear a struggle going on inside. A vase crashed to the floor and two bodies fell to the ground. Tidus had his hand on the door and was about to barge in and try to help when he was stopped short by the voices coming from inside.

"Tell me!" Snake demanded drunkenly. "I could go all night like this."

Another struggle ensued.

"Hah, how's your sister?" Snake asked.

A loud thump was heard and again the two men inside collapsed to the floor. Tidus could see him on top of Auron driving his elbow into the man's neck while he held his arm behind his back.

"Do you really want to know that badly?" Auron asked with no sign of exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Would I have spent thirty minutes tussling with you if not?"

"Fine then. I didn't want to tell you because I know how badly it will wear on you. Whatever you do, don't mention any of this to Tidus. While you may be able to take it, he still isn't ready yet. As far as suggestions go, I'm open to your ideas. Do know that above all else, Yuna must complete her pilgrimage. You've seen the other summoners. They're nothing when compared to her. It has been estimated that if one hundred summoners were trained and deployed, only eight of them would fight with Sin. Yuna is different. She has Braska's fire and that's what will carry her to the end of this debacle."

"Answer my question!"

Auron's voice became inaudible as he whispered something to Snake. Tidus pressed his ear up against the door and strained to hear, but was unable to make anything out. Three full minutes passed in silence after the explanation was given.

"I knew it." Snake said with a sigh.

"Of course you knew it. I knew you knew it. Anyone who could read between the lines knows it."

"That's still not everything, Auron!"

"You're not getting anything else out of me. For now, focus on the issue at hand. Your friend Solidus gave a weapon to Yevon that it will undoubtedly use against the Al-Bhed before they even think of aiming it at Sin. Seymour doesn't seem to be interested in Metal Gear, so he must have something else up his sleeve and I suspect Solidus will try to use Sin as a vessel to bring those machines back into your world."

Snake gasped.

"Why didn't I see it before? An arsenal! He wants to use it as an Arsenal Gear! That scheming son of a bitch!"

"I think the plans those two idiots have somehow contradict each other, but I might be wrong. In any case, they are not on common ground. To achieve either plan, they will need Yuna. That's why they asked us to join them. They're still being polite about it, but if Yuna declines the marriage proposal, I assume they will get more aggressive. With all of that in mind, as our situation stands right now we must press on to get the other Aeons so it looks like we're doing things in order. After that it's off to Zanarkand to enact my plan, but make no mistake. We must kill Sin before either Seymour or Solidus can use it. Yuna knows that."

Tidus backed away from the door with more questions than he had answers. Auron would obviously not to disclose any specifics about what he had just discussed. Neither would Snake. Tidus felt his hands ball up into fists as he walked back to his room with his head hung low in dejection. Something was going on that he wasn't privy to. Since Snake had been enlightened, he would remain the only one who was left in the dark. Deep inside, he could see the answers to all of his questions and they were far too bleak for him to accept.


	17. Chapter 16 : The Farplane

**Chapter 16 : The Farplane.**

Checking in on Auron and hearing the discussion he had with Snake was probably the dumbest thing Tidus had done right before bedtime. As expected, he couldn't get himself to stop mulling over the possibilities so he stayed awake and wandered around for a while. His body told him he was exhausted, but his mind knew that the moment he laid down a never ending wave of worries and thoughts would assault him. If he were lucky, sleep might sneak up on him while he tried to relax in a sofa. After checking to make sure that absolutely everyone was asleep, he entered the bar and sat behind the counter where he mixed himself a few drinks without a partner. He did not intend to get drunk, but Tidus felt the urge to have something with a sting to it. The cinnamon flavored vodka he found tasted great when mixed with root bear, but lacked any potency and made him wish he could find something stronger. Perhaps the Guado were slightly more susceptible to alcohol and did not need a high percentage in their booze to put them over. Either that or this bar was just cheap.

Most of the area was still lit up and this cast an eerie glow on Tidus as he sat contemplating the various unspeakable consequences secretly associated with Yuna's pilgrimage for the remainder of the evening. The only reason he could come up with that directly addressed why everyone avoided talking about what happened after the Final Summoning must have been due to the fact that someone died during the process. This act of humility could quite possibly involve the sacrifice of the summoner themselves. If he were correct, then the Final Summoning was aptly named. It would take a very unselfish person who was not afraid of death to make the commitment required to complete this troubling task. He didn't know about the other summoners, but Tidus knew that Yuna had that kind of valiance in her heart. No wonder she was trained to smile and didn't want him getting too close to her. It all made perfect sense. With a smirk, he concluded that his logic was absolutely flawless. This grin of self-satisfaction quickly dropped into a mask of unrestrained horror. He'd have to ask someone to make sure otherwise it wouldn't stop gnawing at him any time soon. Simply talking about it might relieve the weight off of his chest.

By that time it was early in the morning. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone move in one of the booths. After a moment he was able to discern Snake's camouflaged body from the rest of the dark wooden seats covered with equally fancy leather. He still had that tree bark pattern on that helped him blend in nicely around Guadosalam and it looked as though he'd been there for a while, perhaps even before Tidus had arrived, which explained why the bar was open. Tidus found a lock picking device sprawled across the table with several empty bottles all shoved off to the side and the empty wrapper of a ration tucked in with a heavily used ashtray. A half full glass of familiar juice confirmed that Snake had found more of that fruity drink he'd loved so much back at the Shoopuf station. There wasn't any alcohol in the glass. He must have been in a different mood. Snake was twitching and muttering in his sleep as if he were having a nightmare.

"They're flanking." Snake muttered.

Tidus nodded to himself. Indeed Snake was trapped in time replaying an op he'd done during his days as a mercenary. At one point he'd been asked to fully utilize his skills as a sniper along with several other equally skilled soldiers and go on a very intense mission spanning the greater part of six days in which he could only move about an inch per hour. The plan had been to raid a terrorist cell and Snake was instructed to provide covering fire from a suitable vantage point. He was almost stepped on twice and could do nothing but watch as a prisoner was shot less than twenty feet in front of him. The operation didn't go quite as well as command had planned even with Snake raising hell with his rifle while the small platoon sacked the base. Snake managed to pull everyone through, but it had been very challenging. He continued to twitch uncomfortably as the chaos replayed itself.

Tidus didn't know if it was best to leave Snake as he was or to try and wake him up. He recalled from experience that Snake was a light sleeper. Tidus wouldn't have to shake him awake. All he'd have to do was make a loud noise and take cover. Snake's dream seemed to be getting worse and Tidus felt he needed to intervene. He pushed over a bottle on the table so it fell over and clattered noisily. Snake sprang into action and had his M1911 in hand as he searched for the source of the noise and pinpointed it.

"You weren't sleeping well." Tidus said.

"I never sleep well." Snake grumbled. "What time is it?"

Snake checked his watch. It was seven in the morning. He might as well be up. Snake stumbled over to the bar and began making coffee. There were a few cappuccino machines, but he didn't like raw sugar as a part of his breakfast so he ignored them. Snake set the filter into place and pressed the button. He filled a cup for himself and quickly switched it with the thermos canister so he wasn't totally stealing from whoever owned the inn. Tidus was still sitting in the booth Snake had fallen asleep in when he returned to his nest. Nobody else had come in. Either they were all still in bed or the Guado were lazy and opened in the afternoon. Snake began blowing on his coffee to cool it off and accidentally scalded his tongue after tentatively taking a sip too early. He noticed that Tidus was looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Snake demanded roughly.

"Yuna's not going to die, is she?" Tidus asked quite seriously.

"Nope." Snake was quick to respond.

"That's good." Tidus conceded.

The two men sat in silence. Tidus was growing uncomfortable, but Snake had other things on his mind right now and wasn't as bothered by his presence as Tidus thought he was. He thought of what he wanted for breakfast and lit up a cigarette. Pancakes sounded good. He still had some of that sushi left over, too. Seymour would probably prepare another elaborate feast for them. Even though he was crooked, he at least made sure his enemies were well fed. Snake would be sure to leave one of his arms unbroken for that gesture of refined etiquette. For now, he didn't think he was going to get out of this booth easily with the way Tidus was acting.

"If she's safe, then what were you and Auron talking about last night?"

"A conspiracy theory."

"Was it a good one?"

"Oh, it was positively invigorating!" Snake declared sarcastically. "There's this lady Auron knows who we're going to meet in nuked Zanarkand. She might have some very helpful information for us pertaining to Sin, although it's unlikely she'll cooperate without a fight."

"So can you promise me that Yuna won't die?"

Snake took a drag off of his cigarette before continuing.

"Kid, I'll guarantee it."

"What happens if your new lead doesn't work out?"

Snake waved a dismissive hand at Tidus.

"Don't come at me with questions like that. Let me see your arm."

Tidus hesitantly extended his arm to Snake, who seized it and pinned it to the table. He then took out his knife and cut Tidus deeply right above his wrist. Tidus cried out in fear and pulled back violently when Snake let go. He took off his gloves and put pressure on the wound to try and stop it from bleeding. Snake pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood off of his blade and tossed the dirty rag over to Tidus.

"What was that for?" Tidus demanded.

"That right there is pain." Snake said. "It tells you that you're still alive."

"It also hurts!"

"That's irrelevant. Everything around you is real. Don't think about what you heard last night. It'll drive you insane. Leave this mission to Yuna and remember that we are her Guardians. Everyone is going to go home."

At least he sure was hoping they would.

"Did you really have to cut me to tell me that?" Tidus asked.

"Probably not, but you'll remember it easier." Snake said.

Rikku came walking into the bar. Snake quickly ducked into the shadows so he could hide from her.

"Nope, I can still see you!" Rikku said, pointing at Snake to discourage him from trying any harder.

He hit his head against the underside of the table on his way back up. The bottles clattered noisily and went rolling in random directions. Tidus caught them so they wouldn't tip over the side.

"Do those eyes of yours come standard with night vision?" Snake asked.

"Our eyes adjust better in the dark and no Al-Bhed has ever had to wear glasses." Rikku declared proudly. "We can also pick things out easier."

"That's different." Snake said. "I wouldn't expect such benefits to evolve in a tribe of nomadic desert dwellers."

She easily shrugged that insult off with a scoff and a casual glance to the side like Snake suspected she would.

"I'm proud of my swirl." Rikku declared.

"So, what's up?" Tidus asked.

Rikku sat down beside Tidus. It looked as though she had just gotten out of the shower. Delicious scented lotion emitted from her radiant body heat. Snake was glad to have just finished his cigarette. He didn't see the point in cleaning up so nicely when they'd be sweating and covered in Fiend blood by the time they got to their next break. A round with the shampoo bottle combined with a healthy scrub was all Snake needed at the end of the day and he was grateful to have it.

"There's a big breakfast waiting for us in the cafeteria. Wakka, Kimahri, and Raiden are all having an eating contest so you might want to get in there quick before it's all gone."

"I'm not up for a dessert-off. How's Yuna doing?" Snake asked.

"She's fine, although she's been a little too quiet today." Rikku replied. "I hope she doesn't accept Seymour's proposal. He didn't even get her a ring! How cheap."

"For once, it's almost like I have all the answers." Snake said angrily. "Now I know how my superiors must have felt when they dumbed things down for me. Rikku, whether Yuna accepts the proposal or not has no bearing on how Seymour will handle the situation. He will find a way to get her if he really wants her!"

Rikku began poking both of her forefingers together submissively.

"Then you won't be any less of a grouch this morning when I tell you that this news is spreading fairly quickly. Yuna's already the talk of the town times two! Not only is she a good summoner, but the hype surrounding the marriage is escalating to the point where it seems as though she's already accepted when she hasn't!"

Given what he'd been through so far, the entire population of Spira was rather gullible. Snake groaned and let his head fall forward on the table. The bottles clattered again and toppled over. Rikku and Tidus took it upon themselves to catch them and set them upright once more so the booth wouldn't look quite as trashy. Snake reached for his cigarettes and realized that he had depleted his current pack. He put the crumpled container in the ashtray. This predicament didn't become a problem until he was unable to find another pack in his bag. Snake began feeling very nervous. If he couldn't get his fix in approximately thirty minutes he'd have a Nic Fit. Typical behavior during this period included shouting obscenities more often, depleted awareness, a severe headache combined with an insatiable appetite for aspirin, the need to be breaking necks, and an overpowering cold sweat. Snake sprang out of his seat, accidentally bumping the table and sending the empty bottles every which way once again. Rikku rolled her eyes and gathered up the waste, preparing to dump it for him as that's what she assumed he wanted. Snake literally dove behind the counter and crawled on his hands and knees searching intently for a pack of cigarettes.

Losing track of how many he had was a common problem for him. Snake usually carried so many that he didn't need to count them. They were always there when he needed them. He normally filled up before doing something that would take him a while. Snake would have thrown in a lot more if he had known that the Big Shell incident was going to be followed by an entanglement with a religious cult and a march clear across an entire country infested with stupid monsters. He located a box full of something that looked highly similar to the source of his addiction. Snake tore open the first pack he grabbed with his teeth and saw twenty red butts staring back at him. He sighed in relief and lit one up, unable to keep his hands from shaking. If these were filtered or different in any way from the taste he enjoyed, he'd have to keep looking. He took a long drag and was satisfied with the taste. Snake stole quite a few packs and stuffed them in a separate pocket of his bag so they wouldn't get smashed by his equipment.

He stood up and spotted Rikku and Tidus sitting alongside each other on the bar stools directly in front of him.

"I'm not mixing you anything." Snake grumbled. "I just needed to find some smokes."

"So are we going to breakfast, or what?" Rikku asked. "I hope we're not too late to enjoy those deviled eggs."

For some reason, deviled eggs reminded Snake that he was carrying four miniature nukes in his bag. Standing in front of him was a carefree teenage girl that knew quite a bit about the technology on Spira. Perhaps now was a good time to talk about weapons of mass destruction. With a woman.

"Actually, could you wait here for just a second? Tidus, you go on ahead. I need to ask Rikku something. In private."

"You're too old for me."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Aww." Rikku pouted. "You don't mean that, do you?"

He was quite confused with her logic. Snake assumed that she had honestly meant what she said and then he remembered that women loved to play games like this, especially when they were her age. Still, he considered her Otacon's potential love interest and didn't think he could properly handle her abundant spunkiness. Snake required someone more down to earth.

"Just humor me, would you? It's important." Snake said. "You can wait ten minutes to have those eggs. I'm sure Tidus will save some for you."

"Ten minutes is longer than a second." Rikku pointed out.

"Let me see your arm."

"Don't do it!" Tidus said.

Snake glared at him.

"Do you mind?"

Tidus shook his head and left the room. Rikku plopped herself up on a bar stool and folded her hands in front of her, perking up expectantly for whatever Snake had to say. Since there was only one entrance to the bar, Snake knew that nobody could eavesdrop on their conversation. He'd already searched most of the inn earlier for any device that would compromise their privacy before his talk with Auron and found none. Their secrets would remain hidden. With a sigh, he poured Rikku a carbonated beverage that tasted a lot like Sprite and mixed in some mango syrup. Rikku smiled brightly at him and accepted the drink joyfully. He retrieved the nuclear detonators the predators had been armed with from his bag. Snake undid the cord that held them together and showed Rikku one of them.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Snake asked.

"I'll have to hold it. That's how my memory works." she said, gesturing for him to give it to her.

"It's a nuclear weapon. For the love of all that's good about the START treaty don't toy with it or so help me God I'll kill you painfully before it explodes."

"You would never hurt me." Rikku said defiantly. "Yunie says so and I know so."

"Little hussy!" Snake mumbled in defeat.

Snake gave her the wrist computer. She popped it open and tapped a few buttons as if it were a PDA. Snake's blood ran cold and he could feel his heart beating faster as she fiddled around with the computer. He could already hear the countdown echoing from his vivid memories.

"You got this from a Predator, didn't you?"

"So you call them the same thing?"

"Yeah. They've been hunting us lately after we unearthed a crate of their technology from the desert."

"What exactly. . .you did what?" Snake asked, his voice gradually turning into a roar.

Rikku cringed, but quickly recovered her composure.

"The desert we live in has always had stuff like this buried inside of it. We've also taken weird things out from the ocean and the caves of a few abandoned islands near our homeland."

"Please don't tell me you have more of those." he begged, pointing at the device she was holding.

"We kind of do." Rikku admitted. "About twenty, in fact. For the longest time we've been trying to get rid of them by blowing them up, but disposing of them in that manner has never really worked out that well for our technicians. There's a failsafe device in them. If you don't know how to operate it, it assumes you have no business toying with it and immediately explodes. After we found that we couldn't control the blast, we locked them away in a chest deep inside of Home."

"Is this why Yevon hounds you?"

"That's part of the reason. We don't conform like the rest of Spira does. They hate that! As much as they say they don't want what we have they are known to salvage what they can from the desert and take it for themselves."

"Rikku, we've got to get that crate back to the Predators." Snake said.

Her face washed over with sheer shock as if he had suddenly gotten naked in front of her.

"You want to talk to one of those things?" Rikku asked.

"I'm fairly certain we have enough pull to bargain with them, but if we can't find them we'll just have to make sure Yevon doesn't get their hands on that crate. How far away is Home?"

"A longway from here and at least a three day journey across the desert from the shore."

"Damn! If Yevon finds out where you live, we're going to be in deep shit!"

"David, don't worry about it. Yevon does not know where Home is and I promise you that we won't misuse this weapon. Everything we've ever found we've put to use for the greater good."

"That is in no way reassuring." he said as took the self-destruct device away from her. "I just hope I'm blowing the situation way out of proportion for once."

"Time for eggs?" Rikku asked, finishing her drink.

Snake nodded and hopped over the counter. He exited the bar with his stalker in tow. The cafeteria wasn't decorated any better than the rest of Guadosalam. In fact, it looked downright horrid compared to everything else. There were three tables full of food awaiting their attention. Some of the other guests at the inn were helping them eat all of it after Yuna told them that there was no way they could finish all that food by themselves. This was what prompted the eating contest. Kimahri stood victorious over Raiden's inert body as Yuna revived him. Lulu was helping Wakka get outside because he'd eaten so much that the smell of food was making him even sicker. Auron found himself loitering at the table specifically dedicated toward dessert marveling the two ice sculptures that overlooked the delectable treats. One was of Seymour while the other was modeled after Solidus. A slab of ice rested at their feet proclaiming that the meal was courtesy of them just in case there was any room for doubt.

To really seal the deal and show just how much of an ass Seymour could be he had hired a black mage to keep the sculptures constantly frozen so they wouldn't melt. The mysterious individual sat in a simple wooden seat with no back and was dressed in a blue shroud that was tightly wrapped around his body. He had a yellow wide brimmed hat that obscured most of his face. His hands were resting calmly on his hips as he sat in silence with his head down. Snake stood with Auron as they watched over this quaintly dressed oddity. Eventually he lifted his little finger and jerked it to the right. A light cooling mist encircled the ice and kept it solid. He then went back to brooding. Auron wasn't that impressed. He leaned in closer to get a better look at the Solidus figurine and noticed that he had his P-90 out. Auron tugged at it until it broke off with most of Solidus' hand along with it and then tossed it aside.

The tiny piece immediately melted into a puddle and slithered back toward the table. Somehow it attached itself to the leg and climbed upward on its way to Solidus. His hand and the P-90 it had been holding reconstructed as though nothing had happened once the water absorbed itself back into the sculpture.

"Did you do that?" Snake asked the black mage.

He shook his head slowly side to side, denying any involvement in the trick.

"I'll just have a salad." Auron muttered.

Snake filled a plate full of pancakes, eggs, and sausages. To enhance the taste of his pancakes he recruited help from a container of boysenberry syrup. He waited for the trio of waitresses to clean away the mess that had been caused by the eating contest before he sat down. Snake dug in enthusiastically. Rations were getting kind of tiring. He could only eat a specific meal so many times before its taste actually began making him sick. Variation was the key to his diet and since this food was free he had no reservations. After breakfast he immediately moved into an early lunch by munching on some left-over sushi while everyone talked amongst themselves. Apparently Seymour and Solidus had left for Bevelle about an hour ago accompanied by a bunch of Crusaders. They also had a few mages with them for some of the more challenging beasties. Yuna seemed distraught over this development. Seymour had departed to give her more than enough time to choose her answer and possibly worry her to death so she would say yes regardless of her personal feelings.

A fight would probably start because of this. They were going to be roped into Seymour's plot one way or the other. Fighting back would surely get them branded as traitors. Snake tried not to think about it too much at this point. Once they finished eating everyone headed towards the gates of the Farplane. A long winding tunnel with a sickly green hue covering the walls eventually opened up into a set of stairs ascending into a wavy blue portal. There were people everywhere and the mood was similar to a cemetery.

"This is it?" Snake asked.

"Yes. This is the Farplane." Yuna replied.

Otacon pulled out a notebook from his satchel and flipped through it.

"This is where the sent pyreflies of the dead gather. Simply thinking about someone you are close to will attract their essence and cause them to manifest in front of you. Unfortunately, they only appear as an image and are not able to talk."

"What do you have there?" Rikku asked, pointing at the notebook.

"A log of everything I've seen and heard so far. It's kind of like my personal journal as well."

"Am I in there?"

"I've got a section about my traveling companions, but it's not complete yet."

"Neat!"

Snake bit his tongue so he wouldn't laugh. They were so hideously awkward together. Auron took a seat along the rocky railing and made himself comfortable while Yuna headed on inside. It looked like all one had to do was just walk right on through the gate. Wakka, Kimahri, and Lulu left them to join Yuna. Rikku sat beside Auron.

"Aren't you two coming?" Tidus asked.

"No thanks. Not my style." Auron replied.

"I like to keep my memories inside." Rikku explained.

"We might be in there for a while." Otacon said. "You'll both probably need something to keep you from getting bored."

Otacon handed Rikku his AK-47 and gave Auron his notebook, which he managed to read rather easily with just one hand. Rikku's eyes lit up as she visibly fawned over the sleek assault rifle. Snake quickly reached in and flicked on the safety before she began aiming with it. Auron was engrossed in Otacon's notebook, which was full of random scribbles and fairly artistic doodles that he'd added whenever he became bored. There was also a volume number on the inside flap which meant that he had more than one of these exhaustive manuals lying around somewhere.

"This thing is so neat!" Rikku exclaimed. "I want one!"

"You can have it after we defeat Sin. I'll service it before I give it to you." Otacon said.

"Really? Are you sure you can easily get another one?"

"I could very easily get another one."

"Damn, these days you can walk down the street and find one in the alley as far as that goes." Snake muttered. "Let's go see this Farplane."

Snake lead the way and waltzed right through the gate. The three other men were not quite as bold. They poked at it a couple of times to make sure it was safe and slowly stepped inside. The vast change in scenery almost made their heads spin. They were standing on a levitating hunk of rock above a fairly elaborate field full of flowers where most of the pyreflies seemed to be congregating. The land was in the shape of a U and seemed to be constantly watered by the giant waterfalls that surrounded it. These waterfalls emptied into a lake that encircled the patch of vegetated terrain and eventually emptied into the stillest ocean Snake had ever seen. A faceless blue moon hung in the sky. Mountains and other islands were in the distance. If this was indeed an afterlife it didn't look very fun. At least it confirmed that there was one and it was certainly better than completely ceasing to exist.

He found himself wondering if he could move the platform they were standing on while those who had real business engaged in it. The specters of dead relatives and friends hovered in front of them. They all had smiles on their faces and appeared to be generally happy. Snake found this place highly unsettling as he really didn't belong here. Nobody he knew had died in Spira. Raiden had already made his hasty retreat and for once Snake couldn't blame him. Yuna had already conjured up her parents. A solitary female figure stood in front of Tidus. It was probably his mother and she didn't look half bad. His father was missing, but everyone knew why that was. Otacon couldn't decide whether or not looking at someone else's dead relatives was polite so he found a secluded spot and gazed off into the abyss. He solemnly studied the area to satisfy his innate curiosity of all things scientifically significant. For Otacon, the existence of life after death must have been absolutely enthralling. He'd probably convert.

Snake decided that Hal had the right idea and he joined the man while the others had their respective moments. The interesting scenery made it easier to bring up a sensitive topic with Otacon that had been bothering Snake for a little while.

"Hal, there's something I want to ask you." Snake said quietly so as not to disturb the others. "How far do you intend to take your thing with Rikku?"

Otacon gasped and seemed to be slightly offended by Snake's intrusion.

"Thing? For God's sake, it's nothing like that. She's just a really nice girl. You know how my luck is with women, Dave. I thought you'd be a little happier that there's one who will actually talk to me."

"Believe me, I am."

"Are you worried about the fact that she's fifth-teen? There's about as much of a difference in our ages as there was with you and Meryl. I remember how that turned out. I also remember some of the problems you had."

Otacon jerked after he realized what he said.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"It's fine. At least I learned a few things. Here."

Snake handed Otacon the primer Tidus had given him the other day.

"Her language is relatively simple. All you have to do is convert a letter in our alphabet to a letter in their alphabet and then master the pronunciation. I don't know how good you are with learning new languages, but I would personally be comfortablehearingit right now and I only looked at this book for a few hours."

"Do you think she'll be happy if I give it a try?"

"It's a way of getting you closer to her, that's for sure. I'm only going to say this once, though. If you two start talking in Al-Bhed at inappropriate moments, I'll have to bring you in line."

"Yes. If I start acting like Raiden, please do not hesitate to punch me in the face. By the way, don't treat this so seriously. It's not like we're dating."

"Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Otacon."

Snake was about to turn and leave when he noticed a familiar figure standing at the edge of the floating chunk of rock. He was situated in such a way that his body was centered with the northern waterfall. An image of a woman dressed in red with long brown hair and a distinctive pink ribbon formed in front of him. Cloud was quite good at keeping himself from crying even though he was staring a dead friend in the face. Snake found this to be a little depressing. While a complete savage bout of heavy sobbing was quite rare for him, he wasn't above shedding a few tears at the grave site of a few of his former combat buddies. Snake approached him. At least he partially knew the deceased woman. He would rightfully have business with her. Aeris turned and acknowledged him with a slight nod. This got Cloud's attention rather well.

"Snake?" Cloud called. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I should say the same thing."

The two men admired Aeris and their respective memories of her in silence for a while.

"Even though I have Tifa, I can't stop myself from wondering sometimes." Cloud suddenly said.

"Tifa is a good woman, Cloud. A damn good woman, in fact. I can see where you're coming from, though. If you don't mind me asking, does Aeris' spirit mean that Midgar is somewhere in Spira?"

"No. Well, not exactly. Besides, no matter where I go her soul always seems to follow me around. To answer your question, Spira itself really isn't all that big. There are other lands if you can get past the vast ocean, but they are mostly uninhabited for very good reasons."

"Sin?"

"There's more than Sin to worry about. I spotted something similar to Doom Gaze in the air. I'm not sure how, but Emerald Weapon is in the sea and I can tell you firsthand that you need an act of God to stand a chance against that thing."

"So this is a separate planet, then. I assume we're not in any solar system Earth knows about?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't exactly call it a solar system. It does have its own sun and a total of fifth-teen planets, but that's where the resemblance ends. This entire area is in a separate dimension and I am from the universe within it."

"Then how did you get to New York?"

"Gate travel."

"You don't mean Stargates, do you?" Snake asked.

"That's right. Have you heard of them?"

"Yeah, but I never thought I'd actually have to deal with them. Besides, I was never really interested in the Air Force. I even thought it was a hoax at first, but with all the secretive shit the government does with a third of the money they get from taxes I began believing in it. Then Otacon introduced me to a friend of his that was involved with the project. He didn't say anything about it and I didn't ask. People like us don't talk about our line of work with many people."

"So you know how many planets were initially settled, then?"

"Yeah, by other planets that evolved quicker. That hurts me right in my science. Anyway, does Spira have one of those gates?"

"Obviously."

"Do you know how to work it?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Cloud asked rhetorically. "Don't worry. I'll help you and your friends get home when you're ready to leave."

"Are you a part of SGC?"

"Not officially." Cloud said. "But I know how to get those gates working."

"I never would have guessed you were good with cryptology."

Cloud shrugged.

"How long have you been doing this?" Snake asked.

"Ever since a gate was found on my planet. You'd be surprised what happens when people get a hold of those things."

"Then what brought you to Spira?"

"Actually, I came here by accident." Cloud said. "I was about to leave when Auron found me. He showed me Sin. I was compelled to help."

"Are you finished with that errand he sent you on?"

"Almost. Stuff comes up, you know? Why are you being so nosy?" Cloud asked sarcastically.

"Because I was wondering if you could do me a favor as well."

Cloud scoffed.

"Do you really need to ask? Of course I can help you out. What do you need?"

"Listen carefully. I need you to go to Bevelle and spy on the Yevon clergy. Solidus gave Seymour the specs to the Metal Gear family and several other toys. I assume Solidus is going to build himself an army and head back to Earth to try and fight the Patriots."

"Does he even know how the gates work? He'll have a hard time with that."

"I know. Never mind the fact that the Patriots are all dead. I'm not worried about that. He's not going to get anywhere. What I'm worried about is Seymour. That guy's as crooked as your teeth before braces. I think Solidus is aware of that so it's a matter of who kills the other guy first. Seymour is planning something big."

"And you want me to try and find out what he has in mind?"

"Exactly. It has something to do with Yuna. I need to stay here and make sure she doesn't get hurt. Auron is more than certain that she is the summoner poised to defeat Sin and I don't doubt him."

"Sounds easy. I'll see what I can do."

"There's one other thing, too. Remember those Predators we killed? You forgot to take off their nukes. I was going to give them to you, but I guess that's redundant now that I just found out that the Al-Bhed have a whole case of them."

"That's. . .not good." Cloud said. "I see where this is going. What could a religious cult possibly want with a cache of nuclear weapons? If they strap those manicure sets to a missile it will be goodnight for Spira even if it's a useless SCUD."

"Exactly. How odd that everything is coming to head with people like us around."

"It must be fate."

Snake sighed.

"I'm tired of fate."

"Does your CODEC still work?" Cloud asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. I should still be on the same frequency."

Cloud pulled out his cell phone and dialed a specific number. Snake's ear buzzed and he nodded at Cloud, who canceled the call. The image of Aeris faded now that Cloud's attention was on business. She waved goodbye gently before disappearing completely.

"I'll go on ahead to Bevelle and call you if I find anything." Cloud said.

"What should we do about the nukes?"

"Get rid of them."

"This girl we're traveling with says that's somewhat difficult."

"I'll take them. I've armed one correctly before in a simulation." Cloud said. "We can't just leave them lying around. They might come in handy if I need to blow up some giant robots."

Snake handed all four detonators to Cloud, who pocketed them.

"Maybe you should just drop them in the ocean." Snake suggested.

"That is also a good idea." Cloud said. "In fact, I might do that before going to Bevelle."

Snake chuckled.

"We should hang out more often." Snake said.

Cloud nodded.

"I'll go on ahead, then. Good luck with your journey." Cloud said.

When Cloud left the scene, Snake was stuck in the same awkward position he had been in earlier. Yuna was still visiting with her parents. Tidus hadn't budged. Everyone else was gone. Snake decided to take one last look at the vast ocean as he probably wouldn't find himself back here ever again. The impossibly still sea caused him to start thinking about his own life and how much Metal Gear's had changed it. If it had not been for those mechanical monstrosities, he'd probably be fighting terrorists somewhere right now. He would have never learned of the Patriots, never gotten FoxDie, and never have met the man who said he was his father but technically was nothing more than an egotistical mirror image of himself. Snake also wouldn't be in Spira right now if not for the tribulations Big Boss had brought into his life.

And now he had Seymour to worry about. A group of black pyreflies gathered in front of him. Snake squinted. They were supposed to be gold. In a flash, a man that looked a lot like Seymour appeared in front of him. Snake half expected Big Boss to show up instead. The man leaned forward and squinted at him, disappointed that he had shown up in front of this particular individual. Snake noticed how unpleased the spirit was and took it as an offense.

"Who the hell are you?" Snake asked.

The man sighed in exasperation. He smiled and held up a finger to silently tell Snake to wait a moment. He reached behind his back and pulled out a physical object despite the fact that he was a specter. On top of a silver platter was what looked like one of those lights people hung up in their basements that were activated by touch. Snake tentatively took it since it was being offered to him.

"Thanks?"

"Lord Jyscal!" Yuna suddenly exclaimed.

Jyscal grinned broadly and pointed at Yuna enthusiastically, overjoyed that someone had recognized him.

"Who?" Snake asked.

"Seymour's father!" Yuna said.

"You can have this back, cretin." Snake said.

Jyscal shook his head and threw up both of his hands in refusal.

"No! Seymour's father was a good man. He was one of our better Maester's."

"He's a Maester as well? Does power run in Seymour's family?"

"Yes. Let me have that sphere."

Snake gave it to her as Jyscal's spirit faded.

"What's that thing?" Snake asked.

"It's a memory sphere. Jyscal's last words could be on this." Yuna said.

"And he's Seymour's father?" Snake asked.

Yuna nodded.

"And he was in charge before Seymour?"

Yuna nodded.

"And he died just recently and now Seymour is in charge?"

Yuna nodded.

"He must have a lot to say." Snake concluded.


	18. Chapter 17 : Distant Thunder

**Chapter 17 : Distant Thunder.**

Snake was true to himself when he refused to even bother bringing up how a ghost shouldn't be able to carry around a physical object that it didn't take from the environment it was haunting. Instead, he inquired about the memory sphere, which Yuna hid diligently. They functioned more or less like a camera, but could only hold about thirty minutes of audio or video. There was no discrimination between the two. The level of technology within Spira was incredibly varied. Someone could turn their living room into a virtual playground, but they could only record their daughter's sixteenth birthday for thirty minutes. And only once, apparently. The memory spheres were not rewritable. However, they were cheap and widely available. They were manufactured from the water, which had a strange energy in it that was further exacerbated by magic. It no longer surprised Snake that the water got rid of hangovers so quickly.

They would have to wait to watch it later. Yuna wanted to be far from anyone close to Seymour before she turned it on. Their next trip would take them across the Thunder Plains and Rikku appeared less than thrilled with that prospect. In fact, Snake could see her trembling already as she stayed close to Otacon. Guadosalam was dead when they left it. The exit they took was a simple tunnel that opened immediately into their next destination. It looked as though the plains had earned their name for a reason. Heavy black clouds hung ominously in the sky. There was at least one flash of lightning in the deadly sky at any given second. Nothing really grew out here. From the safety of the tunnel they would exit out of they noticed that lightning struck the ground quite frequently and most of the time it centered itself on the numerous metal towers that were erected all over the expansive field. This place could have been somewhat pretty if not for the barren land. Rikku was now officially freaking out. Her teeth were chattering audibly and she was shaking more furiously than she had been earlier. Tears were streaming down her face as she whimpered in terror.

"Rikku, what's wrong?" Otacon asked despite how obvious the answer would be.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground just inches away from them. Snake's eyes retained the vision he had of Rikku for about ten seconds. It was even worse than looking directly at a flashbang the second it went off. When Snake's eyes finally regained focus, he found that he had been pulled to safety by Raiden. Meanwhile, Rikku had totally lost any control she could have over the situation and had huddled up into a fetal position.

"You're not going to solve anything like that." Snake said.

"Why are you so afraid of lightning?" Yuna asked.

"When I was little, I was attacked by a Fiend. My brother tried to save me by casting a lightning spell, but he hit me instead. I almost died. I've been afraid of lightning ever since." Rikku explained.

"In her defense, it looks like the odds of getting hit are a little bit higher here. What should we do, Snake?" Otacon asked.

Snake sighed and turned to Lulu.

"Got any voodoo that might help her out?"

"Why are you asking me instead of Yuna?" Lulu asked.

"Because I've seen you use lightning spells before and I'd say you're a little bit better with magic. No offense, Yuna."

"None taken." Yuna said with a shrug.

Lulu grinned, happy to have had her ego fed so generously.

"How perceptive of you. Rikku, take this." Lulu said, offering her a yellow bracelet. "It will nullify any damage done by thunder. You will still feel an electrifying sensation, but it will not be painful."

"How many of those do you have?" Snake asked.

"Only four. Apparently they sell rather well in these parts. Who'd have thought?"

"When did you get these?"

"This morning. I can go shopping without telling anyone." Lulu said.

"What if the people who aren't wearing bracelets hold hands with Rikku?" Raiden suggested.

"Nice try, but that won't work." Lulu said. "We'll just have to send four people ahead to clear the path between the towers and hurry on our way forward. Yuna can cover those who do not have the relics with a nullifying spell. However, these spells only work once and must be continuously recast."

"So the people with bracelets should provide cover to those who aren't wearing any." Raiden clarified. "That sounds like a plan to me."

"Kimahri, Auron, Rikku, we're up." Snake said as he took out his M8.

"Snake may want to reconsider." Kimahri stated. "Creatures in Thunder Plains are elemental. Best for Lulu to go in place of Kimahri. Best for Wakka to go in place of Auron for good use of aforementioned cover."

"Fine with me." Lulu said as she slipped on a bracelet.

"Finally, a spot on the frontlines. Keeping up the rear makes me feel lazy." Wakka said.

"No wonder your ass is so hairy." Snake joked.

Everyone groaned. Snake chuckled to himself. After equipping the required jewelry the trio made a run for the nearest tower, minus Rikku. Snake looked behind his shoulder and saw her cowering behind Otacon. He decided against going back to get her. A few monsters crawled out from under their hiding places. Wakka and Lulu took care of them before Snake could even get a shot in. Lulu's water magic seemed highly potent here. Recently she had been practicing her multi-tasking skills and could now cast a spell on one Fiend while one of her wacky dolls ran around poking the others, which instantly killed them. It was kind of sexy. Snake decided to give that thing a wide berth from this point forth. Any stragglers were promptly throttled by Wakka. When they reached the first tower, a tiny cactus creature came shuffling around the corner and would have made its way safely past them if Snake hadn't crushed it beneath his feet. He picked up the bent creature and examined it, wondering what in the world a walking Haniwa figurine was doing out here. It abruptly came to life in his hand and turned to the side, twisting its arm in a circular motion and launching three needles from its arm directly into his face.

The three needles stuck themselves into his cheek. Snake howled in agony and dropped the thing. It bounded away gleefully, but Snake wasn't about to let it get off so easily. Even though he could not completely adjust to the pain, he felt the dire need to do everything he could to kill the thing that had caused him so much agony. Bullets were ineffective as it was a quick little bastard, so Snake pulled out a grenade and threw it in front of the creatures' path. The Haniwa was tossed backward by the force of the blast. It landed upright, seemingly unscathed. However, after a moments delay it turned brown and fell over on its side. Snake pulled out the needles himself as his face began to swell so badly that he couldn't see out of his right eye. Wakka held him down while Lulu took out a potion. He made no effort to struggle. If the injury was as serious as this, he'd have to swallow his pride and allow for a specialized intervention.

Meanwhile, Yuna was tapping in with the universe and trying to guess when it would be safest to continue. When all seemed right in the sky and her soul she gave a signal and the team ran with the same vigor an Allied troop would use in Axis territory. Their fervent pace and unwavering stamina was quite impressive as they ran for their lives. Raiden wound up having to carry Rikku while Otacon tagged alongside him. Both men were trying to convince Rikku that it wasn't all that bad out here. As fate would have it, a rogue lightning bolt struck Raiden directly on his shoulder. He tripped over himself and collapsed face first into the arid soil. Rikku was sent flying forward and remained motionless on the ground when she landed.

Raiden wasn't the least bit perturbed and continued making his way to safety on his hands and knees with what strength the shock hadn't deprived of him. Wakka rushed out to Raiden and offered his assistance. He shouldered Raiden to safety while Otacon was horrifically stuck out in the middle of the plain with Rikku still unresponsive to external stimuli. Snake tugged on one of Lulu's many belts that made up the bottom of her dress as his injury was patched up further by Yuna. She respectfully knelt down to address his concern.

"Shock her." Snake said. "That's the only way she'll know she's safe."

"How delightfully cruel." Lulu mused.

She pointed directly at Rikku and snapped her fingers together. The click that emitted was so sharp that it almost echoed. A vicious surge of electricity poured out of the sky without the usual encouragement magic used to bend such forces to the mage's will. It struck Rikku's spine as that was the widest available target at the moment since all her limbs were tucked against her chest like some kind of pathetic turtle. Rikku predictably squealed and shuddered uncontrollably for a minute until she realized that there was nothing to worry about. In fact, the electrifying sensation without the pain associated with it was almost somewhat pleasurable. Rikku began to wonder how Lulu had come to know this. Finally abated from her fear no matter how minimal the retraction was, she sprinted toward the rest of the group with renewed confidence while a surprised lab rat tailed behind her. Yuna had finished looking over Snake and was now checking Raiden with Lulu's supervision.

His skull suit was undamaged. Bolts of electricity danced randomly across his body and he seemed to carry a high amount of static electricity.

"This is very strange. Your suit has somehow adapted itself to the shock." Lulu said. "Is it magic in any way?"

"It's military magic." Raiden offered helpfully.

Snake rolled his eyes as he got back up on his feet. The area where he had been struck by the cactus monster was now completely numb and would probably remain like that for the better part of two days.

"You have been temporarily endowed with an electrical element." Lulu said.

"Does that mean I can shoot electricity from my fingers like Storm?" Raiden asked.

"Give me a break!" Snake said. "Rubber is a very poor conductor of electricity. That's what saved your ass. Too bad it wasn't there to stop Rose from getting pregnant."

Raiden curled up his fingers into a claw and aimed them at Snake. Lightning shot from his fingertips and danced across Snake's chest. It singed the clothing he was wearing but otherwise didn't affect him at all due to the trinket he had around his wrist. Thankfully Snake had a second pair of tree bark camo stuffed away in his bag with the other suits.

"Groovy!" Raiden exclaimed. "I'll have to get hit by thunder more often."

"You're lucky that felt funny or I'd have torn your lips off with my teeth." Snake said.

"We're wasting time. The longer we stay our here, the more dangerous our predicament becomes." Auron said.

"Rikku, can you continue?" Otacon asked.

"Yeah, thanks to this bracelet." Rikku replied as she fiddled with it. "So long as I have this, I think I'll be fine."

Snake had once heard that error was almost guaranteed to happen on the first try. It didn't matter what a person was doing. Inexperience was the key to mistakes and he had always been quick to adjust. Rushing from tower to tower quickly became predictable. Whenever a pair of rogue Fiends came out to assault those protected by Yuna the four people with effective ranged attacks sprang into action and took care of the problem. That much was easy. Dodging the lightning was significantly trickier until they began to see a pattern. There were a few rogue bolts that slipped by, but nobody was injured. As they moved on, the weather seemed to be getting worse. The whole sky was eventually lit up with lightning and bolts began striking at random ahead of them, which forced everyone to keep their eyes on the ground. The wind also picked up.

Before Snake could point out the obvious, which was how bad it was getting outside, a checkpoint came into view. Snake didn't wait to ask and had everyone rush the entrance where he kicked in the door. He knocked out a traveling nun dressed in green on his way inside. Rin appeared to see what all the commotion was about.

"Thank goodness." Rin said. "I was just about to go outside and flag down anyone I could find. It's getting rambunctious out there, isn't it? I fear it may even begin raining."

"Rain here is heavier than anywhere else in Spira." Lulu explained.

Almost comically, they heard the onset of a huge swirling torrent of rain pelting against the rooftop. A couple of dull thumps also confirmed that it was hailing outside. The ferocity of the sudden change in weather was surprising. This didn't bother Rikku as much as Snake thought it would. She still jerked at the sound of thunder and shuddered quietly to herself in fear, but at least she was finally competent. Snake opened the door and could barely see five feet ahead due to the downpour. Hail the size of golf balls ravaged the ground it fell upon. It was a good thing they had found shelter so conveniently. This must have been because of his cigarettes. Snake lit one up as a way of saying thanks to his luck.

"How long will this storm last?" Auron asked.

"All night." Rin replied. "I assure you there is much here that you can use to pass the time with and the building is structurally sound. This checkpoint has been through much worse."

"How's your quest for improvement going?"

"Splendid. Each checkpoint is unique and structurally perfect. I've really kept myself ahead of the inns they have in the cities. I owe much to my dedicated staff."

"They pretty much live here, don't they?" Snake asked.

"They're on rotation. They spend a couple of months working for me and go back to Home or stay even longer if they choose."

"That's a good system." Snake commented. "Anyway, we're checking in, Rin."

"Please do." Rin urged.

Once they all claimed their rooms, they went about finding whatever they could to pass the time with until they felt like going to sleep. Snake discovered a pool table in the basement and grabbed Raiden from the lounge where he was listening to the jukebox. Raiden got five shots in before Snake eviscerated him. Snake recalled how he'd taken trig and geometry in his early days at college just to get better at pool and bowling. After two more easy wins for Snake, Raiden began whining and insisted they play a more comprehensive game that focused more on strategy and chance rather than refined skill. Snake relented and had his ass handed to him in a very intense game of Othello. Through five games he only won once. By that time most of the party members had drifted to their rooms. Lulu found a book in the library and decided to read it someplace quiet. Yuna also retreated to her chamber. Otacon was sharing his room with Rikku because she was still a little scared of the lightning. Their door was closed and locked. Perhaps they just wanted privacy. To keep himself from thinking about those two getting it on, Snake searched the shelf in the recreation room for cards so he could play solitaire and instead found a case full of mahjong tiles.

He procured a table big enough to fit all the tiles and began playing the solitaire variant known as Shanghai by himself. The sound of the rain made the game very relaxing. Snake opened a nearby window for added ambience. Eventually he attracted Auron's attention. Tidus and Wakka also joined in. With three other people willing to play, Snake decided to use the tiles for a more traditional game of Japanese mahjong. The stakes weren't nearly as high as they had been in the Othello game and the four men continued playing well into the evening. They called it quits at around four in the morning. Since Snake could have gone for another game he acquired a set from Rin for future use. Just as he was about to retire for what was left of the evening, he heard someone running down the hall towards him. It was Yuna and she seemed quite terrified at the moment. Tears were running down her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Snake asked.

"Come here! Come here now!" Yuna demanded while sobbing.

The two sprinted back to her room. Tidus and Kimahri were already there and sitting on her bed in equally distressed moods. The sphere Jyscal had given them was lying ominously on a small table. She fumbled with a few buttons on the device for a bit until she could stop shaking long enough to properly operate the gadget. A holographic image of an angry man appeared above the blue bubble.

"I am Jyscal Guado and I swear on my honor as a Guado and as a Maester that what I am about to say is the unclouded truth." Jyscal began. "I am all but certain that my son Seymour will soon kill me. His mind is twisted and clouded with darkness and there is nothing I can do to change that fact. He is using Yevon and the summoners as a means to accomplish something diabolical. I assume that I will not be around long enough to actually know what that is, but if he is not stopped then he will surely bring destruction to Spira. That is what he desires most, but I do not fault him. I was not wise enough to foresee the consequences of his mother's decisions and I believe they played a part in his downfall. Please stop my son. Once he's taken care of, the only thing left to fear is Yevon. It's time to put all these fallacies to rest."

Jyscal would have gone on, but he was interrupted by a noise to his left. He switched off the visual feed but the audio was still on. It sounded as though he were hiding the sphere carefully. The second he tucked it away, they heard someone tackle him.

"Found you." a voice, clearly Seymour's, said maliciously.

"What are you doing?" Jyscal demanded.

Jyscal screamed in agony. A flash filled the room as a big lightning bolt struck the ground right outside the checkpoint. Snake rolled his eyes. There was an audible click as the sphere switched itself off. Yuna was almost in hysterics.

"What are we going to do, Snake? Seymour really is evil. And to think he asked me to marry him! I think I'm going to be sick!" Yuna said in disgust.

"First, we're not going to panic. Second, we're not going to throw up. Third, we're continuing with the pilgrimage." Snake said.

"But what about Seymour?" Yuna asked.

"If he gets in our way, we now have a reason to stop him." Snake said.

"But he wants me to marry him! All I want to do is stop Sin! I don't have time to fool around with politics! Why is everything going so badly? They told me this would be a relatively routine trip!" Yuna screeched.

Snake took out his gun and stylishly ejected a bullet from the chamber of his M1911 by pulling back the feeding ramp and tilting the weapon. He caught the bullet and held it in front of Yuna's face.

"If Seymour even touches you, I will put this through his head." Snake promised.

He loaded the bullet back into the magazine.

"We have proof that Seymour is a murderer. Now we can stop whatever he's planning before it even begins if we wanted to." Snake explained.

"You make it sound so easy." Yuna said. "But it won't be that simple."

"Then are you just going to curl up into a ball and hope you won't get hit too hard?" Snake demanded. "Is that how you think you should handle this?"

Yuna gasped and realized how poorly she was dealing with the situation. Snake was right. If she didn't fight, then she wouldn't have a chance to win. It might mean doing something drastic, but if Seymour sought to impede their progress toward Sin, then they would have to act for the sake of Spira's future. Her eyes narrowed and the same strong determination he'd seen in her face when he taught her how to fight was back again.

"No." Yuna said. "I will not. No matter what happens, I will defeat Sin."

"That's right, Yuna." Tidus offered helpfully. "You just leave the barriers to us Guardians."

"Good, that's more like it. I need to get some sleep. Make sure you hide that sphere." Snake instructed.

Yuna nodded and immediately stuffed the sphere into her bag of personal belongings, which were a mystery to the rest of the team aside from the obvious medical supplies. A wave of exhaustion washed over Snake as he headed for his room. Seconds before even going inside he felt a hand clasp his shoulder. His path toward slumber had been interrupted yet again. He turned around to face Kimahri, who obviously had something important to say since he'd temporarily left his post beside Yuna's room.

"Snake is great man." Kimahri said. "Kimahri has much respect for Snake."

"It's nothing." Snake assured him. "I'm just doing my job."


	19. Chapter 18 : The Announcement

**Chapter 18 : The Announcement.**

It was still thundering outside when Tidus awoke the next morning, but the rain had stopped sometime during the night. This would surely make for a miserable trek across the muddy soil. By the time they reached where they were going, they would be positively filthy. His shoes were already fairly worn out, so he couldn't complain that much. If only they could find a clothing store with his brand of fashion available for sale. That's when he recalled that everything he had on was custom made so it wouldn't do him much good. With a yawn, he rolled over in bed so he could gently wake up Yuna since the two had shared a room for comfort after what had happened last night. He was shocked that Kimahri had allowed them to do this. Tidus was in for a bigger surprise when he didn't find Yuna lying next to him. Seeing Solid Snake sitting across from him elicited a more noticeable physical reaction of heightened awareness and distress. Tidus kicked himself out of bed and backed away on his rear until he hit the bathroom door. From behind the wooden barrier he could hear Yuna showering.

Snake had on his iPod and was passing the time he spent waiting in Yuna's room by listening to his music. He was dressed in the splinter pattern since the ground outside seemed to have the same color and texture.

"You sleep with your mouth open, Tidus." Snake said. "That'll get your partner out of bed real quick."

"It's not what you think!" Tidus insisted. "I was just sleeping with her. Well, not literally sleeping with her as in the bumping uglies sense but sleeping with her still!"

"I know what you were doing." Snake said.

Snake put away his iPod.

"Don't get so damn excited. You're not the only one feeling the love around here."

"I guess not. How long have you been in here?" Tidus asked.

"Thirty minutes or so. I woke Yuna up a little early to talk to her about showing that sphere to everyone. We're going to do that right after she's done bathing."

"I slept through all of this?" Tidus asked.

"You could sleep through just about anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Snake tossed him a mirror and pointed at his face to get Tidus to look at himself. He was completely covered in face paint camouflage. Snake had endowed him with the splitter pattern, but Tidus would have no way of knowing it by name. He had also used the colors available to him to give Tidus a black eye.

"Yuna's been in the shower for a while, hasn't she?" Tidus asked.

"Yup."

"I thought so. This almost looks tribal."

"It's not. It'll keep you hidden in the bushes, if nothing else. The enemy might mistake you for an animal if he's dumb enough, which will give you more than enough time to dispose of him."

"Hey, does Kimahri ever sleep?"

"Yeah, with his eyes open."

Yuna stepped out of the bathroom, freshly washed and looking mighty fine for today's journey. She had changed out of her robes like Snake had suggested as it was going to be muddy outside and Yuna didn't need to get that outfit dirty. The set she had on now was the same one she wore while training with Snake. It clearly designated her as a follower of Yevon and a member of the clergy through a few peculiar symbols. At the very least, her current set of clothing didn't hang low to the ground like her robes did and it would be easier to wash. Yuna also seemed a lot more comfortable this way. Tidus entered the bathroom and used the sink to clean his face.

"Scrub hard!" Snake shouted. "You're taking off three layers!"

"Yeah, yeah." Tidus grumbled.

"Are you ready?" Snake asked Yuna.

"Yes. I guess this is the first step." Yuna said.

She took the sphere out of her purple bag of holding and gave Snake a nod. He gathered up his stuff and put it away before leaving the room and heading towards the cafeteria where various hijinks were occurring. Raiden's electrical properties still hadn't worn off like Snake had hoped they would. Somehow Rikku had convinced Otacon to swallow his pride and now Raiden was slowly waving his hands over Hal's hair, which was standing completely on end. Rikku was having more fun with this than either of them. Otacon could barely enjoy his cereal with Raiden pestering him. His torture ended when Snake stepped into the room and Raiden stopped what he was doing so he wouldn't be physically reprimanded. Rikku gave Otacon a slight peck on the cheek for being such a good sport. Snake snagged some Al-Bhed pancakes made with a variety of secret ingredients and sat down next to Auron, who was enjoying some oatmeal. The pancakes were quite delicious and once everybody but Raiden had finished eating, Yuna closed the doors to the cafeteria and placed the sphere on the nearest available clean table.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Yuna declared. "I've decided not to marry Seymour."

"Thank God." Otacon said. "Can you imagine the children they'd have?"

"Some people shouldn't be allowed to spread their genes." Snake pointed out.

"Butter pecan!" Raiden exclaimed at his syrup as he poured it over his eggs.

"So what made you decide to say no?" Wakka asked. "You gonna keep us in suspense, or what?"

"She hasn't finished talking, Wakka." Lulu chided.

"I know, I figured she just wanted some encouragement, ya? I mean it's her moment, right?"

"The spirit of Lord Jyscal gave Snake this sphere while he was in the Farplane." Yuna explained.

She turned on the sphere and let them see what was recorded on it. They were gripped in a taut silence when the video ended. The duty bestowed upon them to uphold Jyscal's last request was very hard to accept. Auron freely indulged in his flask.

"I'm glad I filled this full of whiskey." he said to himself.

"Whiskey? Now that's more like it. Pass some of that my way." Snake requested.

Auron handed him the flask so Snake could have some.

"Is there any way that recording could be a fake?" Wakka asked. "Maybe someone is trying to trick us."

"You saw him eating dinner with Solidus, who clearly attacked Yuna and tried to kill her." Lulu said.

"Try not to let your religion get in the way of the truth. Seymour is a murderer." Snake added.

"Man, I just can't believe it." Wakka said. "So how we gonna do this, ya? Guess we'd better ask Snake."

Snake stood up and joined Yuna in front of the group. He'd been expecting to be called upon so his speech had already been prepared.

"Seymour is a high ranking official. If we were to kill him we would certainly be prosecuted. Even if we leaked this sphere, we would still have a hard time getting away with it as I'm sure that his friends will try to cover up the truth. As it stands, Seymour is a direct threat to Yuna's pilgrimage. I don't have enough information to know that for sure, but I'm listening to what my instincts are telling me. If we can't avoid it, we might have to kill him." Snake lectured.

Yuna nodded in agreement, which caused everyone else to start bobbing their noggins to the same tune.

"For now, we're going to Macalania Temple." Yuna said. "Hopefully we can avoid any confrontations with our new enemy."

She sighed in distress at what was happening around her.

"My only regret is that by not marrying him I will disappoint many people."

"A marriage wouldn't help anything." Auron said. "There's no doubt that the marriage would make a lot of people happy. Initially. However, the people are demanding enough of you as it already is and the joy they'd feel would only last for so long. If someone out there is selfish enough not to recognize what your effort to destroy Sin means to them and you, then they have no business in Spira."

"Who gives a damn about who celebrities marry?" Snake asked. "Can you imagine a more pointless topic to pursue?"

"What they name their children?" Otacon offered.

"Damn, that is actually more pointless." Snake said, rubbing his eyes in disgust.

"Boysenberry!" Raiden sang out as he poured the corresponding syrup on his third helping of Al-Bhed pancakes

"I still think he just wants to get into your pants." Rikku said. "I'm not budging on that."

Their encouragement had a noticeable effect on Yuna's mood.

"Thank you, everyone." she said.

"But of course!" Rikku exclaimed. "Alright, if we're leaving then let's get our feet to walking."

Before departing they ran through all the requisite steps to fully prepare themselves for the trek ahead. Lulu also switched out of her dress for this venture, but had not managed to change into anything more conservative. In fact, the outfit she had on now was possibly more Gothic than the one she was wearing before. Snake couldn't complain. It showed plenty of leg. Otacon stuffed his coat into his personal bag. Raiden confiscated a wooden board from the storeroom, but he wouldn't say why. Rin was sure to wish them good luck before they left. It was positively miserable outside. They proceeded forward much like they had done the other day with Snake in the lead followed by Lulu and Wakka.

The soil was quite tricky and difficult to traverse without sacrificing speed. Snake knew he would inevitably trip in all this mud so he wasn't surprised when he finally did. Being face first in muck happened so often that he shrugged it off as a daily occurrence. Snake no longer knew what it meant to feel dirty. Chest deep in the sewers of a third world country in the middle of summer on a mission that was taking entirely too long was enough to make anyone forget how bad they usually smelled. Or felt. Snake could still feel the diseased rats crawling across his shoulders. With a heavy shudder, he stood up and covered Yuna's group as they came waddling toward him.

Otacon wished he would have put on a bathing suit. He was normally shy about showing so much skin, but he didn't think it mattered as much among this group of friends. Rikku braved the goo with him as a partner. Whenever she fell on her rear, Otacon was there to help her right back up. Raiden got a running start and jumped, making sure to land on the board that was pressed up against his chest. He jetted through the mud as if it were a free slip and slide ride. Luck decided to spare him from cracking his skull open against the side of the tower, but only by about an inch or so. Kimahri used his staff as a walking stick and managed better than anyone else to avoid completely collapsing, although he was brought to his knees a few times. Tidus and Yuna shouldered one another much like Rikku and Otacon did and their progress wasn't any better. The monsters saw them as open bait at first until they got a taste of Snake's bullets, Wakka's ball, and Lulu's magic. They quickly backed off and observed them at a distance where they waited for someone to make a fatal mistake.

Auron strolled down the way as if he were walking through a field of daisies. Whereas everyone else had managed to get covered in mud all that was soiled on him were his boots. As fate would have it, a lightning bolt hit the ground nearby, drilling into the earth and spraying brown muck all over Auron's crimson clothes. Mud even covered his indomitable sunglasses. He stood still for a second, completely frozen in distress and confused at how he should react. Nobody could stop themselves from laughing at his predicament. They were not laughing at him in an offensive way and he easily realized that. With one hand he took off his sunglasses and examined them. His eyes were now the only clean part of his face. Auron sighed heavily and stuffed his sunglasses into his pocket. If ever there were a moment for Jesus and Chrono to come bursting out of a time dilation field looking for able bodied men and women to help fight the Nazi zombie epidemic, it would be now because Snake was sure that the impossible had just happened. Auron had taken off his sunglasses. To Snake, that was more shocking than being hit by a bolt of lightning or seeing Otacon in a bathing suit. The rest of the group reacted similarly in stunned amazement. When everyone got back together at the first tower, Snake offered Auron his canteen of water and a clean rag.

"No." Auron said. "I appreciate it, but I'd just have to keep cleaning them at the base of every tower. I'll just wait until we get free of this slosh."

"Who wants to ride me?" Raiden asked enthusiastically, shaking his board back and forth in temptation.

"I do, I do!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Careful. He's not responsible for birth control." Snake said.

Raiden tried shooting a bolt of lightning at him, but it only came out as static electricity. It was only after he had gotten all worked up that Raiden realized that Snake had deliberately provoked him as a way of checking to see if his power had fizzled out. That was okay, though. At least he still had his board and a girl that was eager to ride him. Otacon, not being the possessive type, had no qualms with this although he couldn't help but wonder if his passive attitude would be taken as a sign of weakness that would work against him later on. Rikku hopped on Raiden's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Raiden doubled back and got some good speed on his run. Snake tried to trip him, but Raiden jumped before Snake had a chance to spoil his fun. The two screamed like it was the most totally awesome fun ever and ramped over a small hill. They landed on a wolf Fiend and crushed its spine, ensuring that it would never walk again. The carnage wasn't quite over yet. They punted a cactuar before stopping short of the base at the next tower.

Snake thought commenting on it would be pretty useless so he bolted forward, leaving his two ranged teammates struggling to catch up with him. Along the way, Snake put the wounded dog out of its misery. More clumsy misadventures followed. A gigantic opponent appeared from nowhere that Auron identified as an Iron Giant. Lulu threw her doll at it and the colossal warrior fell over, dead. Kimahri laughed with Snake for about five minutes. They then caught up with the injured cactuar and destroyed it. At the base of the next tower they occupied, Wakka discovered a chest buried in the mud. After digging it out and opening it up, he claimed a ball as his prize. Instantly all the monsters in the area began to shriek and run away. Snake had Wakka chase after one with this new item and it would simply not attack him no matter how much he annoyed it.

Lulu examined the ball and determined it was endowed with a Fiend repellant property. Because of this rare find they wouldn't be attacked as much. This elicited a cheer from everyone. Wakka had Rikku pimp it out with all four major elemental strikes that could be adjusted on a whim for maximum hurt. He set it to fire even though it would be better to have it on water. Perhaps he was just a pyromaniac. So long as he kept fighting like he did nobody would say anything. Eventually they saw a forest in the distance that they eagerly made their way toward. It wasn't like they could do anything else other than proceed forward. This linearity bothered Snake, but he supposed it was natural since they were traveling on foot along a predefined path. Lightning finally became less prudent and Snake guessed that they were at the end of the road. It had taken them five hours to get this far and nobody had complained once about exhaustion. They must have all been in really good shape. Snake almost felt proud of his little troopers.

The forest they entered was completely dull. It looked, felt, and smelled exactly like the Moonflow woods. Snake's concerns prompted Lulu to explain that at one time the whole area had been a massive sprawling spectacle of blue vegetation until something happened that caused the formation of the Thunder Plains, which cut the woods in half. She also noted that it was rather easy to get lost in this part of the woods and that anyone who strayed too far from the path never returned. Lulu had a sick way of amusing herself. This scared Rikku substantially. Lulu retracted her morbid sense of humor and assured the Al-Bhed girl that so long as they followed the signs, they would be fine. Everyone was still caked in mud. Auron was having a particularly miserable time as it crusted around his face and lodged itself on his eyebrows.

They eventually came upon a spring where they decided to break and bathe. There was plenty of finding a partner to scrub ones back during this session. The women bathed first with the men following in right after them. This spring was apparently magical as the filth they washed off in it seemed to purify itself, which ensured that it would always be safe to drink from. While they were at it, they washed their clothes. Lulu sped up the drying process by manipulating her fire magic so that it would only warm their outfits. Once they were ready to leave, Auron finally put his sunglasses back on. Their trip was rather uneventful and quite peaceful thanks to Wakka's ball. There was something a bit chilling about walking out into the winter wonderland they found hours later. Otacon was visibly perplexed.

While there were signs of the air getting progressively cooler there was no reason that they should suddenly be in an arctic wasteland. Apparently Snake's knowledge of geography and meteorology didn't apply here. Climates could vary regardless of the laws that governed them on Earth. It felt like a poorly designed video game. First they had gone through the thunder world and now they were in the ice zone. Snake half expected to find himself in an underground cavern ravaged by fire in the next few days. A checkpoint was less than a mile away from where they crawled out of the Macalania woods, so they didn't have to brave the cold weather for too long.

Snake compared the interior of the checkpoint to a lavish ski resort, but there was no time for admiring the place. His teammates pushed him aside and rushed toward the giant fireplace to get warm again. Snake didn't have that much of a problem with the cold, but he couldn't blame Lulu or Wakka. The clerk began giving them winter gear for free almost immediately. Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku were completely vulnerable to the freezing weather. They were clearly more comfortable in warmer environments. Those who could bear the cold a little better chose to remain suited as they were while those who couldn't threw on some heavier clothing. Once they had all they collapsed in the foyer and ordered coffee. Snake vanished into the bathroom for ten minutes and came out in some highly fashionable snow camo. He then stared out the window and admired the snowy landscape. Darkness was falling, but the sky was orange enough to make it easy to see outside due to the clouds.

"Feels like home, doesn't it?" Otacon asked.

"Not anymore." Snake said. "It was at one time."

"You still have your place out there in the wilderness, right?"

"Yeah. I just haven't been there in years. Everything's probably covered in dust if I haven't been looted."

"Let's go back there when this is all over."

Snake eyed him quizzically. Otacon smirked and waved the implication aside.

"I like frozen tundra too, you know. And don't give me that look. You want me to bring Rikku along just so you can sleep easier at night?"

"Just don't tell Jacky boy and I'll think about it. I know that's kind of mean, but he's got the missus to worry about. And I don't think it would be a good idea to bring Rikku along, Otacon."

He sighed heavily and pushed up his glasses.

"Yeah. It hurts to think about it, but I guess you're right." Otacon said.

Images of Sniper Wolf dying and Emma getting shot in the stomach danced around Snake's memories as Otacon shied away. Snake's personal experiences with him at bars loomed dangerously over his head. That whole conversation they had about how useless it was to date online was more audible than anything else. Snake looked at Rikku, who was talking to Tidus about how awesome snow was since she had never seen it.

"Hey, Hal." Snake said. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea. At the very least, we'll make sure there's a way you can come and visit her, alright?"

"That would be nice." Otacon said.

"Go trade off with Tidus and talk to Rikku about snow. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to let you take over. Why don't you take her outside while you're at it?"

Otacon nodded in agreement. They walked over to the series of couches where everyone was socializing in front of the warm fire place. The smell of burning wood filled the area. Snake always felt that it was a pleasant odor and he never got tired of it. Otacon asked Rikku if she wanted to go outside and the two exited together while Snake sat down and made it his duty to keep everyone momentarily occupied so the two love birds could have a five minute snowball fight at the very least. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it because being addicted to nicotine meant never having less than the regular amount of smokes per day.

"So the temple is the next stop?" Snake asked.

"Yes. That's the only thing out here. Beyond the temple the temperature becomes very unforgiving." Lulu said. "It's just another stretch of uninhabitable land, much like the Thunder Plains. The area around here has been used for recreation, but this is the off season. Rin must have been very happy to know we were headed here."

"Do you have any idea what the next Aeon will look like?" Snake asked.

"The next Aeon is Shiva, the queen of ice." Yuna replied. "It goes without saying that she is an ice elemental being."

"Is she human?"

"About as human as a woman made of ice can be." Lulu said sarcastically.

"Great, a popsicle. It would be awesome if she was good at frozen treats. I could really go for an ice cream sandwich right about now."

Nobody seemed to like his jokes about the Aeons all that much. Snake didn't care what they thought about them. He knew his criticism of those beasts had to have been taken as a form of blasphemy. At least they didn't seem to mind. Snake was about to bring up another more friendly topic when someone came bursting through the doors and running towards them. Tromell was here. His clothing was covered in bits of snow that suggested he'd been plastered by a bunch of snowballs. A slight gash above his eye revealed that a rock had been in one of those rounds. He appeared to be as submissive to authority and lacking in self-confidence as he was when they had last seen him.

"Lady Yuna! It is certainly a coincidence for me to find you on the day I was sent here to wait for your arrival. You must come quickly to the temple. There is much to do before the wedding!"

"You just hold your horses, dipshit." Snake interjected.

"I beg your pardon?" Tromell asked, trying to stand up for himself. "I don't have to take that kind of language from you."

"Shut the hell up." Snake cursed. "Do not go making decisions for Yuna, you got that? With the way you're acting, it's as if she's already said yes."

"Don't come in here acting like that and expect everyone to accept you." Raiden added.

Tromell sighed and bowed to them humbly.

"It was not my intention to act so excited, but I could barely contain myself. You are going to marry Lord Seymour, are you not Lady Yuna?"

"I haven't decided yet." Yuna lied quite well. "And you must please excuse us, Tromell. We are currently resting after having gone through quite an excruciating venture. While Snake's language can become exceedingly colorful at least it will remind you to behave more appropriately around us in the future."

They were in for another dose of bad timing when they heard the sound of two people yelling at something outside. This cut their break short. Snake knew he shouldn't have let himself get so comfortable. They would have to come back here and spend the night at least once after their business at the temple was concluded. If the rooms were as awesome as the foyer, then everyone would have a great night's sleep for once and that's something they all needed. Snake took his indomitable M4 out from its resting place and ran outside with everyone trailing behind him. Even though it was light enough to see outside despite the late hour, Snake still took out his five cell maglite for added visibility. He tossed it at Tidus, who quickly figured out how to operate it and helped light up the area. It was big enough to use as a weapon should Tidus find himself in a tight scuffle.

Footprints in the snow lead them around a corner and near a frozen lake where a giant robot was perched atop the ice. The machine had a big canon on its back and moved along the ground with the aid of two drill tracks.

"Otacon, what the hell is that thing and why does it look so familiar?" Snake asked.

"It looks like the Shagohod, the prototype Metal Gear. If they can build that, then you know what else they can build." Otacon replied. "Rikku's been reasoning with the pilot so far. Apparently her brother is in there."

Rikku spied Yuna and squealed.

"No! Get her out of here!" Rikku cried.

"Lady Yuna, this way!" Tromell urged.

Yuna reluctantly fled the scene with Tromell in the lead. Snake would have preferred otherwise, but Rikku was in a position to exercise the best judgment now. Hopefully she had made the right decision by prompting Yuna's escape.

"**Rikku**, _oui meat du sa! E femm damm vydran ypuid drec!_" the man shouted.

"_Oui tuh'd ihtancdyht. Damm vydran dryd dra cediydeuh ec ihtan luhdnum. Oui lyh mayja drec ib du sa!_" Rikku responded.

Snake slapped himself upside the head. Rikku had revealed herself as what she truly was. Her proficiency in the language was more than a little suspicious and the fact that an Al-Bhed had identified her was a dead giveaway. Snake knew this would eventually happen, but he hadn't quite prepared himself to deal with the repercussions in an eloquent manner. Wakka's jaw dropped humorously and the betrayed gasp he uttered was positively priceless. Snake's patience for his zeal was dangerously low. His bared teeth should have been a good indication. Lulu was frightened for Wakka. All it would take was one dumb sentence to set Snake off. Wakka was full of them and Snake looked ready to snap at any sign of weakness.

"Rikku is an Al-Bhed? Since when have we been traveling with a dirty little heathen?" Wakka demanded.

Snake punched Wakka across the face and knocked him to the ground. Lulu smiled. He did like Rikku after all.

"Don't you ever call her that again or I'll tear your fucking eyes out! Rikku, what's the word? You're talking too fast; I can't quite make it out! Stop acting like an excitable Japanese schoolgirl!"

"I'm trying to stop him." Rikku said nervously. "But it's not working very well."

"_So untanc yna du lybdina dra cissuhan. E femm cillaat frana oui ryja vyemat. Cra femm pa silr cyvan fedr ic. _**Rikku**_, kad uid uv dra fyo un E'mm pa vunlat du vekrd oui!_" Rikku's brother said.

"_Yna oui ajah mecdahehk du sa? E ryja dra cediydeuh ihtan luhdnum. Draca baubma femm hud mad _**Yuna**_ tea!_"Rikku exclaimed.

"**Rikku**_, E ys tuha ynkiehk fedr oui. E bnuseca hud du rind oui duu pytmo vun ehdanvanehk. Oui lyh damm ouin vneahtc dryd draen sykel yht _**Aeons**_ femm hud fung ykyehcd sa. _**Super****Joe**_ femm caa du dryd!_" Rikku's "pnudran" said.

"It's like talking to a wall!" Rikku said in aggravation as she gripped her hair. "Yunie needs to get out of here! I can't convince him to stay out of our way. He's still following orders to capture her."

"Stand aside; I'll blow that thing apart in one turn." Lulu said.

"No, you can't! Magic and Aeons won't work against him. Besides, that's my brother in there!"

"I thought that's what he said." Tidus mused aloud. "What's a Super Joe?"

A weird cube shaped device popped out of the back of the machine and started floating above them. Several metal tails with blue bulbs attached to the end of them sprung out of the cube and glowed gently. That must have been what nullified the magic because Lulu grunted in pain at the invisible barrier that was hitting her. Snake spotted a lens on the cube, which lead him to believe that the pilot couldn't see them from the cockpit without the aid of Super Joe. If that was indeed the case, it could be electrical. With that thought in mind, he dove into his bag and rooted around for a chaff grenade, which he hoped would be enough to temporarily disable the machine.

"That's a Super Joe." Rikku said, pointing at it.

"Rikku, could you pull him out of that thing?" Snake asked as he fingered the pin to his chaff grenade expectantly.

"If I can get close enough I might be able to get inside. But that would be really hard!"

Before he could even pull the pin, Rikku was all over him.

"Wait! Please, Snake! That's my brother! He's kind of stubborn, but I don't want him to die!" Rikku said.

"I don't want your brother to die either, Rikku. This is only a chaff grenade." Snake explained. "Just sit back and watch."

Snake yanked the pin free and lobbed the grenade between the two drill tracts. It exploded and sent a flurry of tiny magnetic strips into the air. Rikku's brother screamed in irritation from inside the cockpit as Super Joe plummeted to the ground, breaking through the ice and fizzling out in the water. Lulu snapped her fingers together and a small ball of flame formed on her palm. The machine began making very peculiar noises composed mostly of high pitched grinds and broken whirs. Steam shot out from the sides as a few parts began to fall off. Rikku took note of the malfunction with a mixed sense of wonder and confusion at how it had occurred.

"Go get him!" Snake ordered Rikku.

She ran behind the hunk of metal and disappeared from view. After about three minutes a familiar looking man with a Mohawk was thrown to the ice on his back. Snake and Raiden couldn't resist shooting at him. He danced pretty well for such a funny looking dude. They ceased fire when Rikku came into view. Her brother ran from her submissively. She threw spare parts at him while he took the cowards exit.

"_Huf oui ku yht damm vydran dryd E ryja ajanodrehk ihtan luhdnum!_" Rikku yelled at him.

"_Oui haat du lid ouin ryen!_" Snake shouted.

Tidus caught what Snake had said and got a good laugh out of it. Rikku would later tell Snake that his pronunciation had been off and he didn't stretch the two A's in _haat _like he should have, but otherwise his first sentence in Al-Bhed could be comprehended.

"Oh, man." Tidus said with a wide grin. "That was a good one, Snake. Gimme some fingers."

They high-fived each other and ended it with a hearty handshake.

"I rather like our quick battles." Auron said.

"I concur. They are indeed very relaxing." Lulu added.

"Holy shit, a yeti!" Raiden screamed.

They all turned to face where he was pointing and surely enough their brief altercation with the infernal machine had attracted the company of a gigantic legendary man beast. It lumbered out onto the ice and shoved aside the machine with one hand and then stood in place of where the shoddy contraption had been. The creature pointed at Snake and made a gesture urging him to try something. It put up both of its hands and took on a stature suggesting that it wanted to fight. This beast seemed to be capable of basic intelligence as it had braided its beard and had enough shame to wear underpants. Its heavy breathing and guttural grunts suggested that it couldn't speak English. Snake attached the M203 grenade launcher to his M4 and fired a round right into the yeti's chest. The creature was pushed backward by about an inch. A small wound was left behind, but the round appeared to have done little damage.

The yeti laughed at this injury and rushed Snake, who rolled out of the way just in time to avoid having his skull torn from his body. Wakka lobbed his ball at the yeti's face, but it didn't take any interest in him. Auron tried to get a hit in, but the creature proved highly evasive and Auron wound up hitting the ice with his heavy sword. The yeti charged at Snake with the intent to rip him in half. Lulu's magic only managed to slow it down. Raiden knew he had to do something to save his friend. Weapons and magic weren't doing anything against the yeti so Raiden had to come up with something original. It was too dark outside to distract the beast with a shiny object and all he had on him was that board he'd used to cross the Thunder Plains with. That's when an idea occurred to him. It could have been the most fantastic idea he had ever thought of aside from his personalized recipe for gingerbread men.

To begin with, he'd have to distract the yeti. A flashbang grenade would be perfect for such a task. Raiden grabbed one from his bag and threw it at the yeti. Snake was able to see him do this and eagerly counted down the seconds it would take before it exploded. He dove beside it and slid headfirst into the snowy hill surrounding the lake an instant before it went off. Since the yeti had been focusing on Snake, it was substantially affected by the blast. It reeled back in pain and tried to claw out its eyes. Raiden quickly ran in front of it. When the yeti could see again, Raiden was holding up his board as if to offer it to the beast in exchange for safe passage. Snake was getting some C4 ready in case Raiden died while pulling this stunt.

"Here. Watch me!" Raiden said.

He slid across the ice on the board a couple of times. Nobody could help but watch him as he showed the yeti how fun his board could be. After six slides, the yeti charged him and tried to communicate through its hands and undecipherable grunts that it wanted to give the board a try. Raiden eagerly handed the slab of wood over. The yeti took to sledding very easily and giggled joyfully; overwhelmingly happy with the limited thrill it felt while skating across the frozen water. Without so much as a casual glance toward Snake it left the scene in search of greater things to slide across.

"No comment." was all Auron could say.

"We'd better get to the temple fast. There's no telling what might happen if we leave Yuna alone for too long!" Lulu said.

They made their way back to the checkpoint where a set of blue snowmobiles were waiting for them. The clerk said they had been rented and paid for in advance by Tromell, who took Lady Yuna with him on one. They briefly studied a map that outlined the various paths they could take to get to the temple and chose the most direct one. There weren't enough snowmobiles for everyone to ride separately so they had to pick partners and there would be one odd man out who would have to snowboard. Raiden volunteered for that position and opted to take the downhill route to the temple so he could do some shredding with a new board while his teammates decided who rode with whom. Rikku and Otacon were the most obvious pair. Auron rolled with Kimahri. Tidus chose Lulu. Snake played the pick in a way that ensured he got stuck with Wakka. They took up the rear, which was uncommon for Snake as he typically appointed himself as their leader. Wakka knew he was in trouble. The group sped through the night as the cold wind and light snow pelted their faces, making them all feel raw. It was beautiful outside and they could hear Raiden whooping in the distance as he ramped and dodged trees. Despite the nice ambience, nobody was in glummer spirits than the boys at the end of the line. Ahead of them there seemed to be healthy conversations taking place between the riders. This was not the case with Snake and Wakka, who could feel Snake's anger coming off of him in waves.

"Let's get one thing straight, Wakka." Snake said. "I've had some very bad experiences with religion in the past. There are people where I'm from who will kill you very slowly if you don't follow their god. Yevon's unforgiving view of the Al-Bhed reminds me of them."

He let that sink in before continuing. Wakka seemed to be listening.

"I thought Rikku was a dirty little tramp when we first picked her up, but I was willing to give her a chance because she seemed good natured. Guess what? She's okay, but don't get me wrong. There are crooked Al-Bhed's, but there are also crooked Yevon priests."

"You're right. I guess I had better apologize to her. I've been a devout follower of Yevon for as long as I can remember. Sometimes that's gotten in the way of a few things I really wanted to do. I'll just have to tone it down, ya?" Wakka said.

"You'll just have to think for yourself." Snake said sharply. "I don't have anything against you yet, Wakka, but if you keep walking around spouting that garbage about Al-Bhed's being heathens and hating Rikku based on what someone else says, we're not going to get along for the rest of this trip. If you must know, Rikku's mission was to kidnap Yuna so that she could be protected from completing her pilgrimage."

"But isn't that selfish of them? Sin needs to be destroyed."

"Auron believes he has a solution to that. I've been privy to that plan and it's a solid one. Yuna's going to come home alive when this is all over. By the way, you're going to find out eventually, so grab your balls and suck this up. Yuna is half Al-Bhed. She is related to Rikku. That's the only reason we're traveling with her and that is also where Yuna got her eyes."

Wakka sighed deeply.

"I have no reason to lie to you." Snake assured him.

"I know. It's just that everything I know has been turned on its head."

"So start learning something new." Snake advised.

They entered a tunnel where a single stretch of snowy ground lead directly to the temple, which was built on an enormous singular platform at the end of the cavern. Aside from those two features, there was a vast chasm that didn't seem to have a bottom. This would be a one way trip. Snake became worried and started looking for signs of Raiden's passage. There was a trail in the snow that suggested a boarder had been through here recently. It looked as though Raiden had toned down his stunts when he entered the tunnel, which probably accounted for why he hadn't gone over the edge. In the distance he could see Raiden at the entrance of the temple waving frantically and shouting at them. Snake sighed and wondered what the problem could be. He started panicking all over them before everyone came to a complete stop.

"Yuna is already in there and Seymour is with her!" Raiden shouted.


	20. Chapter 19 : Confrontation

**Chapter 19 : Confrontation.**

Never try to stop a charging Ronso. If Snake would take home one lesson from this entire journey, it would have to be that. Another priest tried to halt them after they barged in because an Al-Bhed was getting the temple all dirty with her presence. Snake was sure he broke something when he incapacitated the man. The Cloister of Trials had already been completed. This was quite unusual because normally it took them about an hour to get through the puzzles. Seymour must have helped Yuna. They crossed yet another icy bridge to get to the room adjacent to the Fayth Chamber. Snake stopped for a moment before entering the room he knew their nemesis would be in and took out his M1911. The area they entered into was very expansive. This was a change when compared to the cramped waiting rooms they had been forced to occupy earlier while Yuna did her thing inside the secretive Fayth Chamber.

Seymour was standing by the door to the Fayth Chamber with two of his personal guards accompanying him. He was playing with a Rubik's cube because he believed loitering was for poor people. Upon hearing the clattering of everyone's feet against the polished tiles, he looked up to see Yuna's companions drawing near with their weapons out.

"Where's the fire, gentlemen?" Seymour asked casually.

"Seymour! What are you doing here?" Snake demanded.

"Escorting my bride to Bevelle." he answered.

"You sure are persistent." Rikku said.

"You're not taking her anywhere, Seymour." Tidus said.

Tidus ran to the door and tried to lift it up with Kimahri's help. Whatever kept it in place was incredibly hard to move. Seymour's guards would have intervened, but they were rendered immobile by the good chance of being killed should they try anything. The door finally consented to the combined strength of the two men handling it and slid open. A weird transparent flower slowly tucked away its leaves so that they could pass. Inside, Yuna was on her knees praying in front of a glass bubble that was built into the floor. Beneath it was a perfectly preserved dead body. The faint outline of a female spirit illuminated by pyreflies was standing in the center of the bubble above the glass. It vanished once Tidus and the Ronso entered. Yuna gasped and turned to see who had interrupted her. Tidus knelt down beside her so that he could whisper in her ear.

"I think Seymour wants to kidnap you." he said. "Did you get the Aeon?"

Yuna nodded affirmatively.

"Good. Get ready to use it."

The three of them left the Fayth Chamber. Seymour appeared indifferent when everyone grouped together to form a barrier in front of Yuna. Snake's sixth sense kicked in again. There was something odd about this predicament. Surely Seymour would have thought to arm himself with just more than two ass kissers who could only use magic to defend themselves. His confidence dropped slightly as he found himself wondering where all the reinforcements were.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seymour asked them.

"Seymour, I don't want to marry you." Yuna said venomously. "I know that you killed your father. As if that wasn't a viable reason to deny any involvement with you, I also think you're somewhat hideous and very manipulative."

"Take a hike, buster!" Rikku shouted.

Seymour grinned knowingly. It was obvious that he had expected something like this to happen. He held up his hand, revealing that he was holding the sphere that clearly incriminated him. Yuna's face turned ghost white as she dug through her bag of holding in search of the sphere she had been sure to keep buried underneath everything else.

"There's no need for that." Seymour said as the sphere in his hands exploded. "It's not your fault. I am simply quite capable of such trickery. Even if you did have this sphere nobody would believe you. How naïve. Do you really think that I am acting alone aside from that buffoon with the tentacle rape fetish?"

"Solidus?" Wakka offered.

"Yes, that's his name. My, how he bothers me." Seymour said distastefully.

He took a moment of self-indulgence to finish the Rubick's cube and then handed it to one of his guards, who proceeded to scramble it for him.

"Here is the deal we will be making." Seymour said. "Yuna will marry me and we will complete the pilgrimage together. You are all welcome to come along."

"Hold it. If you just want to come with us, why don't you ask to become a Guardian?" Otacon pointed out. "You don't need to marry her for that, you know."

"You are correct but I'm afraid I am quite jealous and I require a bit more attention than any of you do."

"No, Seymour." Yuna said firmly. "I do not even want you as a Guardian."

Seymour looked her directly in the eye.

"Then all of your friends will die right here in this room."

Snake didn't need any more threats. He aimed his gun right at Seymour's head and pulled the trigger. The .45 round pierced Seymour's skin and drilled right into his skull, tearing through his brain. An explosion of gore accompanied the bullet's exciting exit as violated gray matter trickled out the dark hole. Seymour staggered for a bit before falling over to the side where he died with a smirk on his face. His guards went down in Lulu's flames before they could cast any spells. The immense shock the intense heat put on their flesh made sure they died almost instantaneously. Their mutilated bodies collapsed with a sick splat.

"Yuna, send Seymour." Auron ordered.

"Now?" Tidus asked.

"We need to make sure he doesn't come back."

"That's not necessary. I have always liked the idea of becoming a wandering soul." Seymour said.

A knot formed in Snake's gut as Seymour stood back up. Out of all the things he had expected, Seymour coming back from the dead was the last possibility on his list.

"Great, another Vamp!" Raiden said.

"Lulu, why isn't he dead?" Snake demanded.

"He's an unsent!" Lulu exclaimed. "Those with a strong attachment to their lives do not cross over into the Farplane after they die. They stay as they are."

"Can I become an unsent?"

"So long as you are in Spira, I do not see what would work against that."

This was indeed good news for Snake. Though he no longer feared death, he felt it would be a great disservice to Yuna if he kicked the bucket before his business with her was resolved. There was also the issue of dealing with the Patriots. He had to stay alive long enough to see those problems solved. Then again, dying here did mean staying here. He couldn't decide which option was worse, but he did know that he had been up against more dire odds than this so he stopped worrying and focused on getting through this situation alive. Seymour turned around to examine the mess on the floor. The crater that should have been in the back of his skull was no longer there. Yuna finally reacted by pulling out her staff and commencing her little dance. Seymour's figure became faint as a multitude of pyreflies that made up his body became visible.

"Look at me now. I am free from death." Seymour said. "Is that not a beautiful thing? I no longer have to suffer or worry about my mortality, for death works differently in Spira. So long as I resist your sending, I will be immortal. I must thank you for this gift, Lady Yuna. By the way, I know it's a little off topic, but I love that snow camouflage, Snake."

"Shut up."

"Yes, I thought you would be resistant to even the most trivial friendly banter after killing me."

"Won't you eventually become a Fiend?" Raiden asked Seymour.

"That is a risk I'm willing to take." Seymour replied. "Although there are ways around such things."

Yuna quickened her pace, but Seymour wasn't getting sent. The pyreflies that made up his body wiggled a bit, but his will was stronger than hers. Seymour was not showing any signs of being affected by her dance. Only the souls of his guards were ushered into the Farplane. Yuna switched tactics and decided to go on the offensive. With a few twists and turns that looked like an interpretive dance at the poetry club, five shards of ice fell from nowhere behind her and an icy maiden descended from the ceiling. She joined the group for what was probably going to be one hell of a battle. Snake wondered if she would melt if Satan gave her a hug. Seymour shook his head sadly at Yuna's decision to fight.

"I suppose this means you want to do this the hard way."

"Don't be disillusioned!" Auron shouted encouragingly. "Even though he is dead, that doesn't mean he still can't be hurt and killed again!"

"Thanks for waiting five minutes to tell us that!" Tidus said.

Before they could rush him, Seymour snapped his fingers together. There was a sharp crackle as twenty five soldiers decloaked themselves at once. Team Yuna was completely surrounded. Snake thought this was like that old elevator gag only somewhat more dangerous. Each soldier was dressed in the specially designed Tengu combat suits Snake and Raiden had encountered on the Big Shell. They were all armed with swords and noob-cannons, also known as P-90's. There was absolutely no difference in how the material was made. They looked the same as they would on Earth.

"I would like you all to meet a selection of troops from the newly commissioned Yevon Tengu Commando Corps, built from former members of the Crusaders." Seymour said. "Don't be fooled, they know what they're doing. This is your last chance to surrender. Do so now and I will not kill any of you. Honestly, I won't. Now I know you may only take that statement at face value, but I must insist that you trust me."

"Bite me. Shiva, now would be a very good time to steal the show." Yuna said nervously.

"Yup, you're on, popsicle." Snake said.

"This is your story." Auron added, pointing at her.

"Do it to it girl!" Rikku exclaimed.

The Aeon crossed her arms across her chest and smiled. From out of nowhere, four raging tornado's made up of ice and snow appeared in the room and began chasing after some of the Tengu's. Yuna cast a massive protection barrier over her companions. Any bullets the Tengu's fired were deflected by her shield, although with each shot it grew weaker as Yuna's stamina slowly gave out. The suits the Tengu's wore were incredibly difficult to penetrate and they danced out of the line of fire most of the time thanks to their increased stamina, which made them very hard to hit. It didn't take long for Snake to get highly irritated at this. He took out his knife and dared the enemies not being tormented by the tornado's to come at him Rambo style. Raiden unsheathed his katana and did the same thing. Shiva hadn't moved an inch. Her spell was working quite well. Any Tengu who got sucked into the swirling spiral of death were shot to the top of room and then dropped on their heads. This effectively snapped their necks like twigs.

Shiva's spell eventually wore out and she had to recharge. Lulu used fire again to slowly cook one Tengu at a time because that's all her power could handle at such immensity. The Tengu's suits could withstand a substantial amount of heat, but the material did have a limit. When it finally gave away, the mercenary underneath was burnt to a cinder so quickly he barely had time to scream. Kimahri's spear was sharp enough to lance through the body armor when the right amount of force was exerted. With a hefty grunt, he shoved the spear directly through a charging Tengu's heart. He then flicked his wrist and sent the dead body flying into two of the soldiers who hadn't quite yet decided how they should react. Snake took on two at once in hand to hand combat and was easily winning until one of them decided to cheat and bring their sidearm around. Lulu put a lightning bolt through his skull as Snake tore off the helmet of his other opponent and kicked him in the head hard enough to give him a concussion.

Raiden was fighting like a samurai straight out of feudal Japan with his tangos. They truly underestimated his skill with the katana. After his days as a child soldier, he took various Kendo classes to try and heal the wounds brought on by his troubled past. Even rising above his own instructor wasn't enough to help him deal with his insecurities, although it made him quite deadly with a sword. He was even anal enough to pause right before he made his killing blow. To those who watched, it almost looked like poetry in motion. Raiden was as graceful as he was deadly. Wakka's ball dizzied whoever he hit while Tidus and Auron cut them down afterwards. This usually took a few hacks because the suits were so damn tough. Rikku and Otacon could do nothing but take a back seat to the action and cheer the others along. This fight really didn't provide them with too many openings. All Rikku had was her little arm claw and a variety of raw materials that wouldn't be of much use here and Otacon couldn't do anything other than aim and shoot, which didn't work in this situation. Shiva was growing bored with how long this was taking. She had finally recovered enough to deal a massive killing blow to Yuna's enemies.

Another icy mist formed within the room. It fluttered lightly across the floor at first and then began to rise to the ceiling. Bits of ice crystals and snowflakes hung magically in the air, completely betraying how lethal they actually were. The remaining Tengu's began to scream in distress for they knew what might be coming next. A few of the more intelligent members who didn't need to be told that they were up against more than they could handle went for the exit. Shiva sharply snapped her arm in the direction of the door they were clamoring towards. It froze over within seconds and nothing short of a block of C4 would break the thick barrier. They didn't get that much time to lament their inevitable demise as Shiva typically preferred to annihilate her enemies before they even realized that they were dead. The mist built up until nothing in the room was visible. A heavy fog hung in the room for about a minute before it dissipated. Anyone who hadn't been taken care of earlier had now been frozen solid in chilling poses of horror. One man decided to go out with his middle finger extended.

Shiva blew a kiss at him and all her statues shattered at once.

"Okay, now you're really pissing me off." Seymour said.

When the group turned around to deal with him again, they saw Anima writhing painfully beside him. This significantly changed their combat strategy. How he had managed to summon it so quietly was truly magnificent indeed or perhaps everyone had been just too preoccupied to notice during the battle with the Tengu's. In any case, they now had one massive problem to deal with. The gigantic creature gazed down at them with its one bloody eye and emitted the most shrill shriek any of them had ever had the displeasure of hearing. Being the powerful warlock that he was, Seymour had easily been able to keep himself protected from most of Shiva's wrath. He was covered in a mixture of ice and snow and most of his spiked hair had broken off into sharp shards of unfashionable dullness. While he shivered as his teeth chattered, Anima roared again and launched a laser beam right through Shiva's chest. The Aeon cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Blue blood seeped from its massive wound. Yuna dismissed her so that she would have a chance to heal. Shiva vanished into a flurry of pyreflies that left the battle.

"Not her again." Auron groaned as he looked at Anima.

"It's a she?" Otacon asked.

"If that's the case, if Seymour has it flash us then we're doomed." Raiden said.

"There's no way I can CQC that thing and it's too big for bullets!" Snake said. "Yuna, get another Aeon in here!"

Yuna guffawed and chuckled nervously as her right eye twitched rapidly.

"Against that thing?" Yuna asked. "Do you have any requests?"

"That pony is lame and I don't think the parrotlet is up to it. I guess that leaves Satan. He's got some muscle on him. Bring him out; he might be the only chance we have!"

"You're right! I'll call upon Ifrit." Yuna said as she ran through the motions to summon him.

Anima seemed to be preparing itself for a massive attack. Seymour was busy rubbing himself and trying to get some heat back into his body before he died again. Ifrit came barreling in from below in a fit of blazing glory. He began attacking Anima with a volley of heated meteors of which it seemed to have in unlimited abundance. Anima cried out in pain as the flaming rocks ravaged its defenseless body, but nobody was convinced that it was actually getting that much damage done to it. If anything, Anima was enjoying herself. Ifrit turned up the pain by making a flame appear underneath the twisted beast. It looked like Anima was standing on top of a stove. While this significantly increased its howls of agony, Snake wasn't convinced that Anima would go down so easily. He noticed that Ifrit made no effort to attack Seymour. Yuna's companions seemed rooted to their place and watched on hopefully as Ifrit did all the work against Anima. The Aeon's eye began to glow slightly as it continued feeding off of Ifrit's assault.

"Wait just one damn minute!" Snake exclaimed over the brawl. "Yuna!"

"Yes?"

"Why the hell aren't you attacking Seymour? Isn't he the one controlling Anima?"

"There's a rule against that. During a battle between two distinguished summoners, Aeons must only attack Aeons."

"But the summoner who loses can be killed by the summoner that wins, right?"

Yuna pulled out a book and flipped to a specific page to double check.

"According to the summoner's etiquette, that is indeed the case. I think we also might have broken a rule when we helped Shiva fight."

She checked the index and got to the specific page that dealt with her question.

"It is considered very disgraceful for a summoner's Guardians to attack while an Aeon is fighting. Great. Normally I would be very depressed upon learning that I violated one of Yevon's laws, but I don't think I care anymore. Is that bad?"

"Not entirely." Auron replied.

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Snake said. "This is a fight to the death. Rules? What rules?"

Snake snatched the leather bound volume from Yuna's delicate hands and threw it at Ifrit. The book caught fire upon striking the Aeon and fell to the ground where it burned to ashes.

"If you try to attack Seymour, I'm sure that Anima will interfere!" Lulu advised.

Anima's eye was so bright that nobody could safely stare at it without damaging their retinas. Snake fetched a grenade from his bag and pulled the pin. A series of ticks counted down how long he had to figure out what he wanted to do with the explosive before it decided for him. He threw it at Seymour's feet. He had enough time to see what had landed in front of him before it blew up. Snake had timing grenades down to an art.

"Let's see you come back from that!" Snake shouted.

The light emitting from Anima's eye gave out almost instantly. Ifrit temporarily stopped attacking as well. Anima looked to its master for advice only to find that he was busy decorating the door to the Fayth Chamber with his body parts and fluids. She squinted and leaned forward to be sure that Seymour wasn't hiding somewhere. The Aeon whimpered in distress as she looked to Ifrit for help. Ifrit shrugged and began building another flaming meteor. Anima shook its head in protest and decided to dismiss itself so it could safely mull over what it should do the next time something like this happened. Snake breathed a sigh of relief now that the room was free of enemies. He felt sorry for the janitors. It would take them a few days to clean up the mess.

Snake approached the door Shiva had frozen and examined it. The ice was pretty thick and hadn't even begun to melt. It was a lot like permafrost. He could hear people pounding on the opposite side of the door as they protested their inability to enter. Someone must have heard all the commotion. A sharp crackle of static emitted from one of the Tengu's corpses. Otacon ran over to the dead body and picked a radio off of him.

"Alpha, come in. Report your status. Has Yuna been captured? Alpha, come in! Why is the door jammed?"

Otacon turned off the radio and Snake found himself the center of attention once again. Getting out of this situation was going to be tricky and the fact that they killed Seymour would surely come back to haunt them. All he could hope for was the people's love of Yuna. She seemed to be really popular and Spira was painfully ignorant so maybe it would take them a while to accept the fact that she defied a Maester and killed some of his guards. Aside from that, Seymour was now immortal and would have to be killed violently every time he got in their way. Explosives seemed to give him a hard time so Snake knew he'd be throwing plenty of grenades at the man.

"Raiden, just a shot in the dark, but do you have any armor piercing rounds?" Snake asked.

"No, none at all. I wasn't outfitted to deal with Tengu's when they shipped me to the Big Shell."

"Damn! We'll have to find some better ammunition! Our regular bullets don't do shit against their body armor."

"Should I use the grenade launcher?"

"I've got a better idea. Hey Satan, can you stick around?"

Ifrit blinked and pointed at itself.

"Yeah, you." Snake confirmed.

The Aeon nodded.

"Good. Yuna, can you summon more than one Aeon? You know they're going to be all over us and we could use all the help we can get."

"That's not possible, but should Ifrit fall I can easily call on Valefor or Ixion for additional assistance. We shouldn't try to rely on them too much. If they get hurt like Shiva did it will take them a few days to recover."

"If you can get a sample of the armor they use, I can probably upgrade everyone's weapons so that we will be able to penetrate their suits more easily." Rikku said. "Guns excluded, of course. Sorry, but the best you boys can hope for is a side-trip to Home."

"Either that or a mine thrower." Snake muttered.

"We've got those at Home, too!" Rikku exclaimed helpfully.

"Look, here's our plan. We will unfreeze this door and then get the hell out of here as fast as we possibly can." Snake said. "Kimahri, collect a sample of the armor so Rikku can run some tests with it."

He stripped the least damaged Tengu, which happened to be the one that Snake had sent into a concussion. The armor was pretty much molded around the skin, so Kimahri had to pull out the male Guado inside. After that, he stuffed the equipment in his own bag and gave Ifrit a nod. Ifrit leaped in front of the frozen door and tensed its body. Flames erupted all over its skin and the ice was quickly melted away. The unsuspecting Tengu's on the other side of the door were tossed about like rag dolls and knocked out of commission. Another unit stationed at the end of the bridge began shooting at Ifrit, who took a moment to swat at the bullets as if they were mosquito's. It then hurled a meteor at them. There was no doubt about it, magic was highly effective against the specially equipped soldiers. Ifrit motioned for them to follow and the whole team ran behind the Aeon as it lead the great escape.

Confused priests and innocent bystanders littered the temples entrance. The pathway up the stairs was being blocked by two Tengu soldiers at the landing who didn't notice when Ifrit snuck up behind them. It grabbed them each by their tiny heads and smashed them together. A sick crack emitted from the contact and Ifrit carelessly lobbed aside the two guards after setting them on fire. One unfortunately landed on the nun in green that Yuna kept running into and Ifrit was quick to scramble over and make sure she was okay. While a self-admitted bad ass who enjoyed fighting as much as it did bowling, Ifrit wasn't one to harass those it had no quarrel with. Yuna cast a quick healing spell on the redhead in green before rushing out of the temple.

Their snowmobiles had been hijacked, so they were forced to continue on foot. Running behind Ifrit became somewhat complicated as the beast was apparently so hot that every patch of snow it touched melted enough to create a small trench. Nobody appeared to be following them. Snake checked behind his shoulder several times to make sure of that. They weren't out of the woods yet. The caves exit drew nearer with every step they took. This was far too easy. If the Tengu's had been in contact with each other, they surely had to have come up with a better way of containing the incident than this. Snake wished his mind wasn't so tactical when Solidus stepped into the cave followed by several Tengu commando's. Ifrit roared in protest and prepared to deal with the man as he held out what looked a lot like a remote detonator.

"Ifrit, stop!" Snake shouted. "If that detonator drops, whatever explosives he's planted will go off!"

"Damn, that's a keen eye you have!" Solidus said admirably. "Hell, I had half this gadget covered up with my hand and you still recognized the make and model. I can also make your life a lot more miserable by pushing a button so you're basically screwed either way, but I'm sure you know that already."

"Solidus, what are you doing?" Snake demanded.

"Filling in for Seymour. He told me to make sure you didn't get out of here. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy what the bottom of this cave has to offer."

"Sir, are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, I think Seymour meant for us to capture Snake. I'm not sure what sending him to the bottom of this cavern has to do with anything. Besides, if we go through with this, how are people going to get to and from the temple?"

Solidus backhanded the soldier who dared to bring his logic into question.

"Shut up, Johnny!" Solidus commanded. He then turned to face Snake. "We'll see how much of a fight you guys can put up when you're all almost frozen to death!"

One of the soldiers threw a primed stun grenade at the group, which exploded and sent all of them into a panic. This would also prevent Yuna from being able to use that little trick with the bird that she had done earlier. Solidus pushed the button on his detonator. C4 explosives that had been put at two specific ends of the bridge they were standing on erupted. Solidus watched with a grin on his face as the chunk his adversaries were standing on dislodged itself from the rest of the bridge and sent them all tumbling down into the bottom of the cave. Their screams of horror filled his ears with immense satisfaction.

"By the way, I know we still want to kill each other, but I love that snow camo, Snake!" Solidus roared. "It totally makes you look like a gangster!"

A Guado wizard was roughly manhandled through the ranks of Tengu's and presented before Solidus who didn't acknowledge the man until Snake was nothing more than a tiny spec of white in the dark.

"See that you put up that anti-summoning field within five minutes or you'll be joining them." he instructed. "Somebody go get a ladder! We need to see what condition Seymour is in."


	21. Chapter 20 : A Brewing Storm

**Chapter 20 : A Brewing Storm.**

For a full five minutes, the bottom of the Macalania cave was filled with the sounds of hell. Screams, wails, curses, pleadings for divine retribution, and woeful regrets of what could have been done in life coming mostly from Raiden reverberated off of the walls as the whole entourage plummeted to an uncertain end. Even Snake was screaming, although he hadn't completely given up on life quite yet. He just hated falling. Bits of discarded structures forged from rocks came into view. Snake could also see water and assumed a diving position. The temperature of the water became apparent so quickly that he almost went into shock. Snake had been forced to swim through a pool of subzero water as a part of his training at one point, but this was much colder than what he remembered from his days at FOX-HOUND's insanely dangerous obstacle courses. He longed for anti-freezing peptides and his thermal insulated sneaking suit. It felt like thousands of tiny needles were poking his body as he struggled to get to the surface. Snake broke free from the depths with a loud, pained gasp. He began swimming for the nearest ruin, noticing that his strength steadily gave out with each stroke.

He was in a ridiculous amount of pain and he knew that if he couldn't get himself on one of those rejected pieces of temple architecture soon he'd drown. His strokes were becoming dog paddles as his vision faded. If not for the intervention of a friend at that critical moment, he probably wouldn't have been able to continue. Raiden grabbed Snake and began to swim with him. His skull suit protected him from a great deal of environmental hazards and cold water happened to be one of them. The two men noticed that they were coming upon an incline and that the water was getting lower. Eventually their knees started dragging against the ground. Raiden hoisted Snake up and shouldered him as they walked on the muddy soil covered in the water. He sat Snake down on a hunk of rock and pulled out his binoculars, which he would have used to try and locate the others if they hadn't been right there in front of him.

They crawled up on the elevated ground and began finding ruins to sit on so they would be out of the water. While they reoriented themselves and huddled together to try and stay warm, Raiden used his binoculars to look up at where they had fallen from because he wasn't about to stuff them back in his bag when he had just taken them out. An odd transparent platform had been constructed to allow the temporary passage across the significant gap. It was illuminated with the odd symbols they constantly came across in temples, which were also sewn into Yuna's spare outfit. Tengu snipers waved back at him as he zoomed in for a closer look. Raiden sneered as a response.

"Keep your clothes on!" Snake shouted at nobody in particular. "Whatever you do, don't take your clothes off or it'll get a lot worse!"

Kimahri rooted through Yuna's bag and pulled out a couple of potions because she was shivering too hard to do so herself. He didn't seem to mind the cold all that much. The Ronso nursed her first and foremost by helping her drink from the bottle. He then passed out the bottles he'd retrieved and handed Snake his own whereas the others had to share.

"Snake drink." Kimahri ordered. "Potion will stave hypo. . .hypoth. . .death by very cold water."

"Hypothermia." Raiden corrected.

"What Jacky boy said." Kimahri finished with a nod. "Potion also help with bite of frost."

Snake chuckled feverishly at Kimahri's limited grammatical prowess as he fumbled with the potion. At least his muscles were working enough to allow him to properly hold it. From this he was able to realize that he wasn't quite in dire straits. Getting the stupid cork out proved to be somewhat of a problem. Raiden offered to help again, but Snake shooed him away and used his teeth to dislodge the cap instead. He drank the potion. It tasted like someone had put some spiced chai into the black tea. This was the third time he found himself relying on magic and voodoo to help him survive. Then again, there wasn't much else he could do to save himself down here with the medical supplies he had. Without a pair of heavy blankets and a moderately warm room, he'd die. Snake swallowed his pride to allow himself to survive. It wasn't that he hated magic and everything associated with the science. His problem with utilizing it was that he would probably find himself somewhere in the Middle East at some point in the near future fighting the Patriots with nothing more than a tiny medical pack to aid his injuries. It was a good idea for him not to get hooked on the potions and Yuna's healing touch.

The tasty concoction somehow seemed to raise his internal body temperature. More than half of the liquid was still left when he began to feel better. He decided to keep the potion handy until he could dry himself off as he still had wet clothing on. To make sure this drink was really working; he retrieved his M1911 and began taking it apart. Victims suffering from the initial onset of hypothermia typically couldn't perform such complex tasks with their hands. He did them well enough to his satisfaction. Snake put the gun back together and tucked it away in its harness.

Snake made sure everyone was present and accounted for. The only missing member was Ifrit. He probably burnt out the second he hit the water and was now resting in the imaginary medical ward Shiva was also occupying. Snake then assessed their current situation. Without having to look, he knew Solidus had men aiming at them down the scopes of their rifles. The atmosphere was thick with the frigid temperature, making it painful to inhale sharply. Each breath he took let out enough steam to make a Chinese wind dragon jealous. They were lucky to be able to rely on Yuna's potions. So long as they kept drinking them at regular intervals, they wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death. Instead, they would just be incredibly cold. Snake motioned for Raiden to toss him his binoculars and he did so.

The walls of the cave were coated over in ice. Climbing them would be impossible without the proper gear. Even if they could do that, Solidus would be waiting for them when they reached the top. There didn't seem to be any way for them to get back to the bridge. Likewise, there didn't seem to be any way for Solidus to get to them unless he was packing some really long rope. Perhaps this chasm had been included clearly for the sake of design as it had no real value other than being a dump for poor architecture. Snake was sure that he and his band of wandering minstrels would remain trapped until Seymour revived himself and decided what to do with them. When that time came, they would probably all rappel down to them. Snake couldn't think of any other way they could be reached, but he was sure Seymour knew of more than a few.

They would probably be too tired to fight by then. Valefor was a possibility, but with Solidus' men waiting for them any sort of escape would be difficult. Snake smiled grimly. It would take a miracle to get out of this predicament. In the meantime, they would have to concentrate on keeping warm. Snake pulled out his lighter and checked to see if it still worked. A small flame produced itself as he worked the flint. With this, they could indeed start a fire, but not without sacrificing something.

"Raiden, we're going to have to burn our magazines if we want to keep warm." Snake announced.

"We can make a fire?" Rikku asked hopefully. "That would be really nice."

"Or I could just produce an open flame for us to gather around." Lulu said. "Same principle, less work."

"I'm leaning towards Lulu. Her way lets us keep Rio Natsume." Raiden pointed out.

"Who's she?" Rikku asked.

Raiden dug through his bag and tossed Rikku one of his Japanese magazines. He couldn't personally read Japanese that well, but the images therein spoke louder than the words. Rikku flipped through the pages until she got to the centerfold, which popped out of the magazine in front of her in all of its voluptuous glory. Snake took a picture of her initial reaction. Rikku's eyes widened and her bottom lip curled back in intimidation of the chest she was fixated on. She checked her own boobs for comparison and shook her head in denial. The group from Spira took this as a sign of possible entertainment and joined together behind Rikku to get a view of what she was looking at.

"Boobs can get this big?" was all Rikku could say.

"Even bigger." Raiden assured her, putting his hands about ten inches away from his chest to imitate a large rack.

"These things are as big as my head." Rikku said. "She's pretty, but I. . .how could you keep those inside of a shirt?"

"I've seen plenty of groupies, but none of them had such overactive mammaries." Tidus said.

"Must be an Earth thing." Wakka muttered.

While they gawked over the rest of the pictures within the men's magazine, Lulu found a nice circular spot for a fire that would allow everyone to enjoy it without having to stand in the water. She used her magic to produce a toasty blaze. The fiery pop that followed was enough to distract everyone from Japan's premier watermelon market. Soon they were all gaining warmth from the eternal inferno that fed off of Lulu's power instead of flammable material. Snake broke out some rations since now was as good a time as any to have lunch. Yuna found this to be an excellent idea and started passing out food to her teammates. If only they had marshmallows. A roast would improve their spirits. They were a brave bunch and seemed to know what odds they were up against so Snake didn't bother telling them what he already knew.

"I wish Solidus would hurry up and get down here so we can beat him up again." Wakka said with a wistful sigh.

Snake smiled. That was the spirit.

"Hey, Rikku." Wakka called. "I'm sorry about earlier. I thought about it and I don't think it's right that I was so quick to judge you."

"Apology accepted." Rikku said with a wink.

Snake looked up at the bridge so far above them and got out his binoculars to see if he was missing any exciting new developments as the group engaged in some idle banter he didn't want to be a part of. Through the specs he observed Seymour stumbling toward Solidus with the help of two Guado's at his side. His body seemed to be slowly reforming itself from scratch. The pyreflies bustled with activity in regions that were missing or had not become completely solid. So far both of his legs had been reconstructed, but he lacked a right arm and the left side of his face. They barely even regarded one another. Solidus was probably growing apart from Seymour now that he had his own little army to play with. Snake got out the directional microphone and aimed it at them, but Solidus didn't even bother speaking with Seymour, who left the area while Solidus stayed around and fiddled with his cape. Snake studied the man until his attention was shifted to Raiden, who kept tapping him on the shoulder until he was finally acknowledged.

"Hey, is that my watch you're wearing?" Raiden asked.

"No." Snake quickly replied.

Inside, he was tickled pink. Kleptomania was so much fun. It had certainly taken Raiden long enough to get the courage to discuss this topic with him.

"It looks an awful lot like mine."

"Well, it isn't. Shouldn't you be more concerned with other things right now?"

Snake's ear buzzed with a distinctive noise, drowning out Raiden's response. The infernal buzzing noise an incoming transmission made bothered him and he usually couldn't make it go away fast enough. If someone were to keep that up for more than thirty minutes Snake was sure he'd develop an agonizing headache. He pulled out his CODEC device and answered the call. An avatar of Cloud popped up on the image screen. The only effort he made to disguise his appearance was a pair of different shades apart from the brand he usually wore. Then again Cloud wasn't that well known in Spira and could easily get by with his regular appearance so long as he didn't totally mess up. Snake chose to use his nanomachines to communicate with Cloud, which worked by audibly relaying his thoughts without the need to speak. He did this as a precaution against the soldiers watching them.

"Snake, it's me." Cloud said. "I've finished gathering intel on Yevon. I almost didn't have to infiltrate their facilities. They've been pretty open about their new toys and the gossip I heard from the public would have been enough to go on alone, but I did some sneaking just to be sure."

"So what did you find?" Snake asked.

"Nothing you're going to want to hear. They have a Metal Gear. I believe it's the REX model. That's the one that looks like a dinosaur, right?"

"Yeah. It's pretty unmistakable."

"They do not have nuclear missiles, but that hasn't stopped them from decking it out with what they can. Even if they found a nuclear missile, I don't think it would do them much good as Spira doesn't have any satellites."

"That doesn't make any sense given what else I've seen." Snake said.

"I know. However, with the right kind of fuel and correct calculations they can launch a missile fairly far from a stationary position. I saw the specs for the system so you can count on that as being a positive advantage for them. Apparently this isn't enough to satisfy their greed. All three maesters have agreed on a solution to this. They didn't even have to submit it to their congress, but I'm sure you're not interested in Spira's political structure so I'll get to my primary point."

"Complete with the dramatic pause?"

"Indeed."

Cloud paused briefly to collect himself before revealing his most troubling find.

"Yevon wants to see how well their newest investments perform in battle. They're running some top secret tests with REX and their new assault unit on Bikanel Island"

"What?" Snake shouted out loud.

He hadn't forgotten what Rikku told him earlier about Bikanel Island. Aside from being a generic desert it was also the site of Home. If they managed to discover the Al-Bhed's secret base then they would have access to the Predator's wrist computers as well as whatever else the Al-Bhed chose to keep buried along with all the weapons they couldn't understand. Snake found himself torn between asking Cloud to help them get out of the pit they were in or sending him to Bikanel Island to alert the Al-Bhed if he could find them. He chose the later as their lives were nothing when compared to the greater good of Spira. His outburst had attracted the unwanted attention of his companions. He waved them off as if it were nothing and continued talking to Cloud quietly.

"What the hell are they thinking? I was under the impression that they were going to try to use the Metal Gear against Sin!"

"Well, they have to see if it works first, don't they?"

"That's genocide!" Snake shouted incredulously.

"Of course it is. They're even blaming that fiasco at Mi'ihen on the Al-Bhed. None of what they said made any sense to me since I'm immune to propaganda, but a lot of people wouldn't mind if Home was attacked."

"Damn it. Do you think they know about those nuclear detonators?"

"I'm afraid it's common knowledge that the Al-Bhed tend to hide things. If they intend to raid Home, they just might find them."

"Cloud, you'll have to go and warn them before it's too late."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. This isn't the time or place to talk about where exactly Home is, but give me a call a little later and I might be able to tell you."

"Okay. For the time being, I'll stow away on the airship being used to ferry the army."

"So they have an airship as well? Rikku isn't going to be happy about this."

"I'll see if I can scuttle it. One more thing. The REX model no longer has a radome, so we'll have to find another way to bring it down. I'll see if I can find anything else while I'm on their airship."

"Don't get yourself caught!" Snake admonished strongly.

"I haven't forgotten what you taught me."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Be careful, okay?"

"Right. I'll be in touch."

Snake gave him a nod and ended the transmission without saying goodbye because that formality wasn't a part of CODEC etiquette. He began feeling very nervous and rubbed the back of his neck in agitation as his leg bobbed up and down. Snake pulled out his binoculars again and scanned every inch of the bridge to make sure nobody had monitoring software pointed at them. If he couldn't talk about this with everyone else, he'd go nuts. This new information might upset them as the pilgrimage would undoubtedly be delayed, but he didn't think anyone would outright disagree with the detour as it was so imperative. Regular troopers went back and forth across the bridge carrying the dead bodies of their comrades and salvaging what equipment they could for confidential purposes. Snipers waved back at him. Solidus hadn't left the area and was giving orders to everyone via nanomachines while obviously plotting his next move. Snake switched the thermal imaging option on and spotted three camouflaged soldiers gathered around something he couldn't see.

They were obviously up to no good. Snake took this as a clear indication that he should be very careful. As usual, his taut mood seemed to leak from him and affect those he spent time around. Their cheerful banter had ended and they were now searching for a way to escape. Of course, there wasn't any. Snake knew that much already. The realization of just how bad a spot they were in slowly invaded their confidence. More soldiers were arriving with crates full of supplies and Yuna instinctively knew that her ability to summon had been compromised, but she didn't dare say that. Snake knew he had to take charge again before a panic started.

"Otacon, give me your notebook." Snake requested.

He tore into his bag and gave Snake the two hundred page notebook.

"And a pencil!" Snake added.

Otacon smiled sheepishly and handed Snake a pencil.

"Everyone huddle up on me and don't say anything I'm about to write out loud. Got it?" Snake ordered.

They all nodded. Snake began searching for a spare sheet of paper as everyone bunched in around him. Before he even had a chance to scribble the first letter of the word he had in mind, they heard a loud wail. Swords and guns were out within mere seconds. The water around them began to ripple rapidly. Something was lurking around in the depths of the bottomless subterranean lake that surrounded them. Another wail came from whatever was in the water as it began to rise to the surface. Sin's head popped out and completely filled the massive area around them. Its lips were inches away from Snake's face. He slowly began to back up as he frantically tried to plot a course of action. Around thirty eyes looked every which way as Sin stood motionless before them while waves of icy water fell off of its gnarled skull.

The Tengu's reacted immediately by shooting at the massive creature, which had already been established as futile, thus marking those who chose to attack it in such as a manner as nothing more than helpless idiots. Sin opened its mouth, revealing absolutely no teeth and one massive black tongue. The stench made Otacon faint. A familiar white light formed in its throat as the whole team felt themselves pulled in by the enormous sucking power Sin was capable of using. This had happened once before. Sin wanted to take them somewhere. Even though this wasn't a taxi service, Snake figured he'd give it a shot.

"Bikanel Island, please! And step on it!" Snake shouted as he felt his consciousness fade.


	22. Chapter 21 : Desert Warfare I

**Chapter 21 : Desert Warfare Part 1 - The Assault.**

Even before Snake opened his eyes he knew where he was. The sound of the wind blowing against endless waves of sand was highly unmistakable to those who had fought in a desert. His body was warm and he had a sunburn so he must have been out for a while. Now instead of freezing to death he'd have to worry about heatstroke. An impatient buzzard was busy picking at him to try and make him die faster. Snake grabbed its neck before it had a chance to fly away and strangled it to death. He rolled over so he wasn't sleeping on his stomach anymore and found himself next to a heavenly oasis surrounded by a bunch of red rocks. He checked to see if he still had his infamous bag first as his survival depended on its contents. It was tied around his waist like it always had been. Rikku's inert body was a few feet away from him sprawled out in an uncomfortable position. Nothing looked broken, but she was going to be very sore. None of his other teammates were in the immediate vicinity. Rather than waking Rikku up right away he wandered over to a spot in the shade and changed into some desert camouflage. As if by a wicked coincidence he found a treasure chest tucked away in the shadows of the tiny alcove he was occupying.

Snake popped it open and discovered a variety of supplies awaiting his pillaging. Apparently all of these items were to be used by anyone who was lead astray by a sand storm or other mitigating circumstances that caused a member of a scouting party to be separated from the rest of their group. Such occurrences must have been rather rare as dust coated a good deal of all the trinkets gleaming up at him. The first thing he examined was one of many round jars full of a light blue liquid. It could have been a specially constructed potion even though it tasted just like purified water. A couple of hand grenades came up next. These weren't the kind he was accustomed to using. The M69 could be found a lot easier than the Mills Bomb, which was no longer manufactured in mass quantities. Snake had handled them before, but it had been quite a while.

Since explosives were highly effective against the enemies he'd inevitably be facing he pocketed them for use until he could find some armor piercing ammunition. A compass and a device similar to a sextant were uncovered next. He examined the sextant first as he was quite skeptical that the Al-Bhed would leave something lying around that could potentially lead to their location and almost immediately discovered that this wasn't any ordinary sextant. The alignment and numbers were remarkably different. Only Rikku would know how to work this thing. If that were so, all that the clergy needed to do was capture and interrogate an Al-Bhed. Snake quit worrying and knew that they needed to be the first to find Home. It was too hot to go running around for now, but they didn't have the luxury of waiting until evening to move. Then again, perhaps the journey across the dessert wouldn't be quite that bad. After all, Rikku would probably know where she was going.

Snake looked at his canteen and began to ration off drinks between himself and her in spite of the oasis in front of them. They would each need about a gallon per day and his canteen almost held that much when fully filled. It was currently three fourths full. In movies and in old radio dramas rationing small amounts of water was a key plot point. This was extremely dangerous as the body always needed its prerequisite fix of fluid regardless of the circumstances. If he insisted on only drinking a little bit per day neither of them would last very long. They would just have to deal with it. With the chest thoroughly searched he turned his attention to the only person who really knew what they were doing out here. Rikku appeared to be slowly coming around when he wandered out of his alcove.

She spit out some sand that had been in her mouth and looked around while taking off the heavier clothing she had worn during their brief stay at the Macalania Temple. A bright grin spread across her face. It was obvious that she knew where they were. The moment she spotted Snake he threw the sextant at her. Without having to be told she launched into some calculations. While she did that, Snake climbed up the path leading down into their oasis pit and scanned the area for any sign of activity. He squatted as low as he could instead of laying on his belly since that would have given him a nasty burn as the sand was typically thirty degrees hotter than the current temperature. Snake estimated that it was a hundred and ten degrees with minimal humidity. The suits Solidus and his Tengu's wore did have cooling systems installed so that would help them travel freely during the afternoon. With the help of his binoculars he observed the vast wasteland. There were mountains in the distance, but they wouldn't reach them for at least four days on foot. Aside from that there was sand, sand, and even more sand.

The occasional scorpion and cactus helped add some variety as did the few Fiends wandering around in search of prey, which in this case happened to be other dead Fiends. A large black bird was flying through the sky aimlessly until a giant sand worm launched out from under the ground and swallowed it in one big gulp before crashing back into the layers of sedimentary rock. This action caused quite the minor earthquake as the ground rumbled in response to the force acting on it. Snake sighed as he fought to keep his balance. The worm could become a major complication for them while they traveled. As he continued his surveillance a Viper class probe droid rose over a hill and observed the terrain. Snake cleared a knot in his throat that was so big it felt as if he'd almost swallowed his tongue and made absolutely certain he wasn't hallucinating. Indeed, the droid was what he recognized it as being. It appeared to be heading their way.

Snake retreated into his little pit and grabbed Rikku with one arm while she was in the middle of doing some math with the aid of her fingers. She cried out in surprise as he hauled her into the alcove and pulled out a chaff grenade. Rikku didn't need to be told that the situation must have been dire so she readied herself to provide any assistance if she could, which would be interesting since she had been dragging her feet in battle ever since she joined the team. The floating machine drifted down to where they were noiselessly. It easily spotted the shuffles in the sand made by their footsteps and followed them right into the path of a rolling chaff grenade that exploded before the camera could transmit the source of the disturbance to whoever was watching. Rikku saw a chance to be of help and ran up to the machine where she fiddled with the components. Her arm claw allowed quick access to the interior components. Snake was about to bring around his M4 so he could blow the thing to bits when the Viper suddenly began shaking uncontrollably and fell to the ground in pieces, leaving Rikku with a section of the fan that helped it levitate clutched in her right hand.

Rikku gave her speechless friend a cute little pose and tossed the useless piece of junk on top of the crumbled heap.

"Are you impressed?" Rikku asked.

"A little." Snake admitted.

"Only a little?"

"Doesn't that machine belong to you? Why did you have to take it apart?"

"Sometimes the AI malfunctions on earlier models like that one and they become hostile, but not often. When they do, you typically see them this far away from Home if they're not clearly scouts, which is designated by a body painted red."

"Forget about that. Do you know where exactly we are?"

"Isn't it obvious? This is the Bikanel Desert and we're close to Home. I believe it's that way."

He determined that she was pointing towards the west with the help of the third compass he had in addition to the first one Rikku had given him earlier and the one he had on Raiden's watch.

"That's good. We'll have to stop by there for a while."

"So you can get the stuff you need out of our vaults?"

Snake really hated to lie to people so he instead avoided becoming like Campbell by not telling the whole truth to whatever questioned was asked of him. It was their fault if they couldn't find a way to pry it out of him and since he'd been trained to fabricate information just in case he was captured, Rikku would remain completely in the dark. That made it somewhat unlike lying but enough like lying to accuse someone of lying when in fact they weren't. She would surely throw a massive fit when she saw the Metal Gear's stepping on her friends and family, but if he were to tell her that ahead of time she'd wander recklessly into the dessert and might not even make it to Home before she collapsed.

"Yeah." Snake finally muttered in response to her question.

"I can't believe Sin listened to you and took us here. This is surely good for Yuna." Rikku beamed.

He didn't bother asking why as Auron had already explained to him why the Al-Bhed were kidnapping summoners. Tidus was still partially unaware of the true reason and Snake imagined he would lose his temper when he inevitably found out. There was a lot of drama ahead of him. Snake took out one of the potions he discovered and tossed it to Rikku, who wasn't looking when he did. She was busy with the sextant. The bottle hit her upside the head and fell to the ground.

"Pay attention." Snake said.

"Hey, I'm trying to figure out the best possible route we can take to get to Home. You wouldn't believe how dangerous this desert is, but I've covered every inch of it. Consider yourself lucky that we'll be traveling together."

Rikku knelt down and picked up the container full of blue liquid.

"What is that?"

"This is specially made water. It enhances the body's ability to retain fluid while at the same time adding in a mixture of several essential vitamins and minerals. We call it _pnaygvycd, _but you can go ahead and call it a potion. They're different from the magical kind Yuna carries around so you shouldn't be fickle about using them."

"Are they scattered at random throughout the dessert?"

"Yes. We always make sure there's plenty of water out here."

"You should have said that sooner. I was really worried that we would run out of water for a minute."

"I bet that's happened to you before."

"It has, but that was in a jungle many years ago." Snake said. "Do you know where exactly we are?"

"Yes. We're actually very close to Home. Once we get there I'll have my father send out a rescue team if we're unable to find everyone along the way."

"Water!" Raiden screamed.

Snake's favorite sidekick came tumbling head over heels down the slope leading into their recessed haven. Raiden quickly got up and made a beeline for what would quench his thirst and lower his internal body temperature. Snake cringed at the thought of having to drink from anything Raiden jumped in so he got him in a headlock and choked him until he stopped struggling.

"Just hold on one minute, Jacky boy. Are you thirsty or dehydrated?"

"I've been wandering around alone for what seems like two days and the hallucinations of Rose in a bikini holding a bottle of Dr. Pepper won't leave me alone." Raiden rasped. "I was almost ready to drink my own urine like I saw that one guy do on television."

"Dehydrated." Snake said as he pushed Raiden face first into the sand. "I only want to see you taking drinks in sips. Empty my canteen before you even touch that oasis."

He let his canteen drop in front of Raiden much like an irritated tourist would do when giving change to a homeless person. Raiden eagerly seized it and undid the cap, completely humbled beneath Snake. He could barely keep himself still as he shook violently while he gingerly took drinks from the container in small amounts. They heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Auron drawing near. With his dark red clothing he should have been sweating profusely, but he instead seemed quite cool and indifferent towards the heat. Several Al-Bhed potions were tied next to his flask. He obviously knew what they were for and had been using them.

"I thought I saw Raiden come this way." Auron said to himself. "It also looks like you've been having your own problems with machina. This desert is crawling with them."

"You mean the Viper droid?" Snake asked.

"I don't see anything else here that's a machine."

"Raiden's a tool." Snake offered.

"True, but that's different and doesn't call to attention your odd hobby of asking such obvious questions for the sake of clarity."

Rikku was distressed by their blatant insults, even if they were true. Raiden didn't seem to care and was now showing steady sign of improvement. Confidently reassured that there was plenty of water to go around for the time being he set aside his worries and amused himself by poking absently at a tarantula with his katana.

"How come you let them talk about you like that?" Rikku asked him.

"At first it bothered me, but eventually all it sounds like is some old man yelling at me for being young. Besides, they're just names. I don't have to let them label me."

She sighed at his submissiveness and snatched the canteen out of his hands. Rikku filled the empty container with the water from the oasis and began mixing it with some of the chemicals she had in her bag of raw materials so she could make Snake some Al-Bhed juice. These compounds would also purify the water if it happened to be dirty. Rikku gave Snake's canteen back to him and counted the Al-Bhed potions they had found. There were twelve, which was more than enough to see them through to Home. If they somehow lost the containers there were chests set up all over the desert that would help them remain hydrated.

"So where do we go from here?" Raiden asked.

"Home." Snake said. "They've got equipment that can make Metal Gear nuclear and they might have Yuna."

"Like I told Snake, we can set out immediately. So long as we have plenty of Al-Bhed potions we'll be fine. Are you all familiar with what it's like to be in a desert?" Rikku asked.

Everyone nodded. Even Raiden. His days of combat during his youth had exposed him to this type of environment.

"What about that giant worm?" Snake asked. "It worries me."

"Those things are scavengers. They're normally not very bright and sometimes swallow live prey when they're starving, but because their stomachs aren't strong enough to cope with a struggling meal they always regurgitate whatever they eat that isn't dead. If you get eaten just cause a ruckus and it will quickly let you go." Rikku said.

"Let you go." Snake repeated. "That's such a nice way of saying that it will throw you up."

"It's not so bad. Cools you off quite a bit." Tidus said.

He came walking down the path with Kimahri beside him. They were both covered in clear goo that smelled like the stuff Snake scrubbed out from between his teeth when he was flossing. Auron pulled out the hand that was in his sling and covered his nose. It would take them at least two showers to clean up the mess and even then there still might be some hiding in their hair. Kimahri's spear still had a piece of worm flesh hanging off of it from when he lanced through the stomach to create an opening and one giant mess.

"Are you permanently finished with that oasis?" Tidus asked.

"Please say yes." Kimahri added.

The two men were abruptly covered in a blue bubble of water that bathed them so they wouldn't have to defile the oasis even though that could have happened at any point in time. Spit and bile was removed from their bodies until both of them were as clean as they could be. The bubble then burst and watered the parched ground around them. Their bath was clearly caused by magic, which could have only come from one person. Lulu and Wakka appeared at the top of the pit and descended to rejoin the group. She was also wearing a poor choice in clothing considering how hot it was. Rather than her other ridiculous outfit, Lulu had switched back to her belt dress and wasn't showing any signs of distress.

"I thought I saw you three come this way." Lulu said almost to herself.

"Looks like everyone is here except for Yuna and Otacon." Wakka said.

"Given what we've seen, I'm sure if we wait around for another minute or so they'll show up." Auron said.

"Hal? Doubtful. It seems Sin dispersed us in the same general area. That's why we were able to get back together so easily. He's probably in trouble or he would have already found one of you." Snake explained. "As for Yuna, the chances are high that the Al-Bhed already have her and I'm sure we can reason with them."

"Kimahri track Hal for now." Kimahri said. "Kimahri found odd footprints before getting swallowed by sneaky worm. You may say, how Kimahri remember where? Kimahri spent less than five minutes in belly of beast. Slug could not have gone far. Once free, behold, Tidus was with Kimahri all along."

"So was this big bad bird that we had to kill. To think it would have the nerve to attack us after we freed it!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Ungrateful buzzard paid heavy price. Suspicious footprints about one mile to the west." Kimahri clarified.

"How auspicious. That's exactly where we're headed." Rikku said.

"Then let's get going." Auron urged.

Kimahri and Rikku took the front. Rikku still had the sextant in her hands and had borrowed the compass from Snake so her directions were more reliable. While on their way the members of Team Yuna who had not had a chance to drink an Al-Bhed potion were treated to one. Lulu and Wakka had found a small bag full of them and now the party had more than they would ever need. Thankfully Wakka hadn't lost his Fiend repellent ball during the teleportation so they were rarely approached. A couple of stupid machina that had gone haywire saw it fit to try and attack them for trespassing on their territory. One chaff grenade and Rikku's skillful hands saw them reduced to a pile of spare parts within minutes. Rikku pried a RAM chip out of one and examined it for a moment before tossing it aside. Raiden shot it before it hit the ground so he had something to do. They soon came upon the body of the worm that Tidus and Kimahri had spent time in. The thing was halfway out of the ground with a gaping hole near its throat. Rikku added that the worms surfaced when they felt like hurling for the sake of clarity. The corpse of the bird Snake had seen earlier was nearby with its head torn off and laying a few feet away from it. Kimahri must have been quite angry because Tidus couldn't have done that.

Fluid was still leaking from the massive opening. Several cactuars ran out of it as Snake marveled at the savagery required to bust out of the worms stomach. Kimahri located the footprints he had seen earlier and began following them. A few minutes later the sand began building up to a steep hill that they couldn't get around. They would have to cross it just as whoever had made the trail did before them. Snake managed better than everyone else to conquer the tricky slope and found a broken pair of glasses wedged into the sand near the top. The attractive design intended to make up for the victims preference over the irritation of contacts was unmistakable. These were Otacon's glasses. Snake crawled forward and came upon a vast crater where Hal was laying motionless near the bottom. As his luck would have it, Snake's mistreatment of the cactuar's he preferred to refer to as possessed Hinawa junk had spread fast among their tight knit community until it reached their capital, which happened to be in the very same desert Snake was venturing in.

They knew all too how this odd structure had formed and before Snake had a chance to properly piece the absurdity together an agent of their order popped out from under its hiding place and slapped Snake's ass full of three barbed needles with enough force to push him forward. Snake fell into the spiraling funnel and couldn't get any footing on the way down. Kimahri seized the cactuar before it could escape and crushed it to death in his hands. It died gloriously since it had fulfilled its mission and had recently grown tired of living. The team conquered the steep hill and peered down at what was ahead of them. Rikku screamed, which was a good indication of a colossal problem. Otacon risked his equilibrium by catching Snake as the man tumbled past him. They moved a few feet downward before coming to a momentary stop. Hal slowly began inching his way backward, which seemed a bit counterproductive since he was steadily descending toward the small circle at the bottom of the funnel now that he had broken free from his rut.

Before Snake got a chance to say anything, two great mandibles erupted from the patch of land they found themselves sliding towards. He examined the appendages a little further and noticed that the two hairy spikes of doom ended in very sharp pincers that were darker in color. These were obviously used to pierce the creatures prey and suck the innards out through the small holes that formed beneath the pincer for maximum efficiency. This typically involved a painful impalement and a waiting period for death full of indescribable agony.

"Sarlacc!" Snake exclaimed. "No, wait. Antlion! Even worse!"

The overgrown insect began throwing sand at them from its resting place to further loosen the ground around them. This quickened their descent and kept the antlion busy as most of its day was spent without such excitement. It secretly blamed its dull life as the cause of its chronic narcolepsy and since it hadn't fed in a while it was fiercely determined not to blow this opportunity like it had earlier when it had grown tired of trying to trap Otacon and was abruptly hit with an intense urge to sleep. Snake coughed as he inhaled the sand being tossed at him.

"What are we going to do?" Otacon asked. "It was sleeping until you came around!"

"Oh, so this is my fault? It's my fault that I'm not heartless enough to leave you behind? We're not dead yet, Hal! Just make sure that it doesn't impale you! This might be easy because the thing looks kind of clumsy."

The antlion lunged the business end of its mandible toward Hal's stomach faster than he expected and missed him by half an inch. Apparently it was quite agile despite its appearance. Otacon completely lost his balance and tumbled down into the center of the trap between the two mandibles. He was kneeling on the creatures' bumpy head and quickly attached himself to the blunt end of the hairy javelin. This angered the antlion substantially because its biggest pet peeve happened to be the feeling caused by its prey latching themselves onto the very thing that later killed them. It couldn't roar, but it did voice its opinion by showering Otacon with sand and beating the poor man against the ground repeatedly in an effort to shake him off. Snake saw an opening to attack and brought around his M4 and unloaded an entire clip into the antlions head.

While the bullets managed to pierce its skin they did little actual damage. The antlion heaved Otacon aside with one great swing and then focused its attention on Snake. Hal was thrown far enough upward to allow for his rescue. The antlion had not intended for this to happen and made note of its mistake. The second Otacon landed, Team Yuna was all over him and hauled the man to safety. Snake slid down and jumped on the antlions head and made sure to stay on it while he thought of a better plan. This confused it slightly as it couldn't really hit him with its mandibles if he kept dancing on its head like he was doing. Now that he had a chance to Snake painfully pulled the barbs out of his ass with a frustrated scream.

"Kimahri! Give me your lance now!" Snake demanded.

The Ronso readily threw his lance toward Snake and it landed with a sharp thud a few feet in front of him. Snake cursed and didn't stop tearing it up DDR style on the antlions head. This worsened the headache it was getting from the heat. Eventually the insect partially dug itself out of concealment and hurled Snake forward. He did a magnificent aerial backflip that made Tidus blush and landed hard on his ass while the antlion tried to recover from the pounding sensation reverberating through its skull to the tune of some European techno tune that Snake loved to play on extreme. He positioned himself so that he would slide back into the antlion's head. On his way there, he snatched Kimahri's lance out of the ground and held it steady. The bug hadn't fully recovered in time to defend itself from its gory demise. Kimahri's spear tore right through its head, killing it almost instantly.

How this worked better than his ammunition was no great mystery. Rikku had finagled with the spear in order to endow it with a special piercing property that made the lance more effective against armored opponents. Auron's sword worked the same way. With a sigh of relief, Snake pulled out the bloodied weapon and collapsed to the ground where he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth at the pain he was feeling in his lower back.

"Damn! I'm getting too old for this!" Snake lamented as waves of agony flowed across his back.

As he writhed in pain on the searing hot sand, two imposing black airships flew overhead side by side. Since black was not a happy color and the Al-Bhed seemed somewhat artistically inclined given his experience with Rikku, Snake automatically assumed that their presence could mean nothing but trouble.

"Those are from Bevelle." Auron announced.

"How can you tell?" Otacon asked.

"Because it's written along the side." Auron replied.

"They have airships too?" Rikku exclaimed. "I thought we had the only airship!"

"I could have sworn that it was just a rumor." Lulu said. "Who would have thought such ships existed?"

"This isn't good! Home can't camouflage itself yet." Rikku said. "At this rate they'll easily be able to find it."

The ships passed them with their fancy engines as they pressed forward on their way to do battle with the religious scourge that were Rikku's people. With a howl of frustration, Snake limped his way painfully back up the funnel as an invisible shard of glass kept rubbing up against his spine. Raiden threw him a length of rope that he caught which the team used to pull him out of the sand trap. He stood up with a crick in his tailbone and limped futilely after the airships. Rikku and Lulu got in front of him and tried to slow him down so they could have a look at him, but there wasn't any time for such treatment when the Al-Bhed were already screwed. He pushed through both of them and continued on his hindered march.

"Hurry! We have to get to Home before it's too late!"

"What do you mean? Are they here to fight us?" Rikku asked.

"Is that a problem?" Snake replied.

Rikku thought about it for a moment.

"No. We should be able to hold them off. We knew this day would eventually come."

In the distance they heard a large explosion that shook the ground around them. Their target must not have been far off. Artillery, gunfire, and explosions followed in natural progression as the war quickly matured.

"Now would be too late, right?" Tidus asked nervously.

"What's going on?" Lulu asked.

"Damn!" Snake cursed. "The clergy is invading Home because they need to get a wrist computer capable of setting off a nuclear explosion. They intend to strap it to a missile for use by the Metal Gear Rex model. I imagine they have quite a bit of Tengu soldiers all armed with modern weaponry. While they're there they'll also probably get Yuna if she's around."

"How long have you known this?" Rikku asked.

"I was told by a reliable source while we were busy trying not to become ice cubes. If I would have had more time I would have explained everything to you guys right then and there, but Sin interrupted me. Since it took us here I figured we could get there before they did. I was wrong, but I kept everything to myself because I didn't want to upset anyone and make our desert trip any more difficult by revealing what was going on. That reminds me, I wonder how my contact is doing."

He brought out his Codec and accidentally dialed Raiden's number, which was next to Cloud's.

"Right here, buddy." Raiden said over his nanomachines.

Snake launched his hand towards Raiden's crotch and gave it a death twist, effectively incapacitating the man. He fell on his side and curled up into a ball. Tidus instinctively shielded his gonads and Lulu laughed lightly at Raiden's misfortune. Cloud wouldn't respond to his call and Snake knew he liked to keep the vibration on his cell phone rather strong unless he had turned it off while infiltrating the airship, which wasn't likely. Either he was busy or he had been captured.

"Rikku, I suspect they have a Metal Gear with them. Do you think Home can withstand an attack by a giant mech?" Snake asked.

"I don't know." she replied. "Maybe. I'm not sure what they're capable of."

Snake limped over to her and put both of his hands on her shoulders so she would stop staring at the ground to hide her tears. Rikku was obviously ready to begin panicking. Her knowledge of the Al-Bhed defense lead her to believe that they were capable of putting up a good fight, but without the aid of magic the Tengu's were fairly tough to beat and there weren't any Al-Bhed's that had taken the time to learn the dark arts since they felt it wasn't practical. Rikku had been through drills as a child to prepare for such an attack with the rest of the clan. The Al-Bhed were very coordinated and knew something like this would eventually happen. All this gave her confidence that a faint hint of despair said would amount to nothing against Solidus and his men. Even so, they did have their own ace in the hole if they absolutely had to evacuate.

"Whatever happens, you have to take me to where those bombs are. Got it?" Snake asked.

Rikku nodded and retrieved a regular potion from her bag that she offered to him.

"You had better drink this for your back and your butt." Rikku advised.

"God, I hate this swill." Snake muttered as he drank from the blue bottle.

Within seconds his back felt like it normally did, which didn't say much since it never failed to be a problem. Snake threw the empty container aside since littering in the desert wasn't illegal. He brought out his M4 and made sure the scope was fitted properly. The others also armed themselves. Tidus picked up Raiden and shouldered him as his loins were still pulsating unpleasantly. Snake faced the whole group now that everyone was ready to fight.

"It's just another random encounter." Snake said dully.

"While the moment is still fresh, I'd like to thank you for saving me, Dave." Otacon interjected suddenly.

"You're welcome, Hal." Snake replied.

The two briefly hugged each other and did their secret handshake. With that taken care of the whole party sprinted towards Home. It couldn't have been far since the noise level was so great. The sounds of combat grew more intense with each passing second. Home finally became visible in the distance after they tackled a rather large dune. It was a very peculiar structure with several towers encircling one major building in the center. The Al-Bhed must have lived underground, which made perfect sense as it was probably cooler down there. Snake brought around his binoculars and zoomed in for a better look just as one of the airships flew in front of Home and opened its bay area. Two Rex models jumped out of the back and landed on the ground with a tremendous crash. Both of them threw back their heads and roared.

"Metal Gear!" Snake declared as spotting one subconsciously inclined him to automatically name it.

"Two Metal Gear's!" Raiden specified.

"As if one wasn't nearly bad enough." Otacon lamented.

To begin with, it appeared as though their mobility had been improved. The one Liquid had used wasn't quite as limber or responsive. As Cloud had said, the device did lack a radome. Aside from that, they were the same beasts Snake had seen before. It was surreal to see them in a combat situation as opposed to a one on one grudge match. One of the towers surrounding the main structure suddenly flared to life as its circular walls slid away to reveal a large cannon that shot a blue energy bolt directly at the airship that had dropped hell down on Home. A tremendous explosion took a chunk out of the back. The ship was visibly damaged but managed to get out of the way and regroup with the other ship a safe distance away from Home. This was obviously their primary method of defense as the ground units weren't doing so well against the Tengu's. The two Rex's turned their attention on the towers and began firing missiles at them while the Al-Bhed readied the weapons within for combat. Whatever Home was made out of it was impervious to the missiles they had outfitted Rex with.

Another one of the multiple structures surrounding Home began firing rockets out from its top. This took the enemy by surprise. The bottom of the same tower opened up into five separate heavy machine gun nests and began mowing down the advancing Tengu's with a hail of bullets. Snake blinked to check and make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, Solidus' men were experiencing D-Day. This stopped them from flooding the main entrance and forced them to deal with the towers for now. While their defenses were great the number of Tengu's was greater. Still more were charging in after having safely been deployed from the two airships that were out of range. Peculiar robotic droids accompanied them along with a few M1 Abrams tanks. The proficiency of the soldiers baffled Snake. They had obviously used rifles before or they wouldn't have been able to adjust to the new guns as quickly. Nanomachines had to have been involved somehow.

"Hey, I don't mean to spoil the party, but I got a question." Wakka said.

"What's that?" Lulu asked.

"How are we gonna sneak past those machina and soldiers?"

Snake thought it over while continuing to examine the scene through his binoculars. Rikku grabbed Otacon by the wrist and lead him away from the rest of the team. A cardboard box was almost out of the question. Neither of the two Metal Gear's were taking any significant damage, although if the towers were allowed to continue their assault they would eventually be defeated. One of them approached the tower that had launched the energy ball and kicked it with one ferocious movement. This took the top off of it and also destroyed whatever weapon it had used against the airship. It then focused on destroying the machine gun nests. The other Rex did the same to another tower that wasn't being cleared by Tengu's.

A tower directly behind the main structure with a rounded dome at its top shot a huge bolt of electricity into one of the Metal Gear's as it was about to break another tower. The Rex stumbled back as electricity coursed through its grooves. Snake assumed that the interior circuitry might have been scrambled by the bolt. Whoever had been inside was probably fried. Someone undid Snake's bandanna as he silently began urging the electrical tower to quickly take out the second Metal Gear. He whipped around and saw Rikku running off with it.

"This way!" Rikku urged.

The team followed her to a spot where Otacon was digging at the sand. Rikku got on her hands and knees and helped him claw furiously at the tiny beads.

"Help me dig!" she requested.

"Give me my bandanna back first." Snake said.

She handed it to him and he quickly tied it around his head and fiddled with it until he was satisfied with the fit. Everyone else was already clawing at the sand by this time. They formed quite an obvious circle as they sank deeper and deeper into the ground. In less than a minute they found a metal hatch with a number and a letter in the upper right hand corner next to a keypad input. There was a handle in the exact center of the metal door. Rikku shooed her companions out of the pit and began punching a series of numbers into the keypad. A lock released. She punched in another code. The second lock released. After she passed the third and final lock, Rikku grabbed the handle and pulled the hatch open.

"Go in ahead of me." she said.

"What is this?" Auron was quick to ask.

"An emergency tunnel. We've got them all throughout the desert."

"Seriously? Why?" Tidus asked.

"For emergencies." Rikku replied.

"Does this lead straight to Home?" Snake asked.

"Yes. Give Hal a flashlight. It's going to be dark down there."

Snake handed Hal his flashlight that doubled as a club before he took the ladder down into a dark tunnel. Otacon switched on the powerful device and cut through a great deal of the darkness. The tunnel was wide enough to allow for five people to travel shoulder to shoulder and about ten feet tall. In other words, the space was cramped. The ceiling was reinforced by metal that hadn't been serviced in a while. These tunnels didn't feel as though they were used all that often and the suffocating atmosphere combined with the lack of light didn't make them any less uncomfortable. The others quickly crammed into the confined area around the ladder and waited on Rikku since she was the one they would have to rely on from this point forth. She came in last and closed the hatch behind her. After sliding down the ladder stylishly she operated a nearby control panel.

"I'm sending in a signal to Home so that they know someone is down here. Additionally, I'm going to make sure the sand we disturbed stays in place."

Rikku pressed a red button. An unseen mechanism in the ceiling rumbled and began shaking the ground above them until the pit they made caved in on itself. This effectively concealed the entry point to the Al-Bhed's subterranean passageways. Snake wasn't entirely convinced that they were completely safe. If Home had been found when it was supposed to be so well hidden then the tunnels might also be compromised. He took out his night vision goggles and passed them to Raiden.

"You watch our rear just in case the Tengu's know about these tunnels." Snake said.

Raiden nodded and donned the goggles. Lulu helped him walk backwards as the rest of the team went forward. The commotion topside was eerily audible as they pressed closer to Home.


	23. Chapter 22 : Desert Warfare II

**Chapter 22 : Desert Warfare Part 2 – The Struggle Within.**

"I'm sweating like Rose after her pregnancy test." Snake complained. "It's too hot down here, Rikku."

"Sounds like someone needs another Al-Bhed potion." Rikku said with a wink.

"Great, give me more fluid to sweat out. Pass me one."

"Does this place have air conditioning?" Tidus asked.

"Here? No way. That would take too much energy. We do have central air in Home, though."

Kimahri had to kneel as he moved forward or his head would brush up against the ceiling uncomfortably. The others were spread out to avoid packing each other in the small space, but the fact that their last baths had been taken more than a few days ago was beginning to become apparent. Being in close proximity with so many people that were sweating under the unforgiving humidity wasn't very fun. Snake had been through worse and felt a little better after drinking one of Rikku's watery mixtures. Eventually they came upon a steel door with another keypad that Rikku knew how to operate. The battle for Home was still waging topside. Rex must have recovered or Solidus had another trick up his sleeve. Snake couldn't let himself think about that right now. Rikku gave the team a thumbs up after deciphering the password and they readied themselves for what might be ahead.

"Hey, I think I figured this thing out!" someone on the other side of the door exclaimed.

It opened slowly, revealing a room with three Tengu's standing over a few dead Al-Bhed soldiers. The Tengu's in the room were momentarily distracted by their new discovery and didn't expect a big blue cat creature to come running out of the darkness with hatred in his eyes and vengeance in his soul. Kimahri disposed of the closest soldier by shoving his lance through his heart. Wakka's ball clocked out the other one while Snake slammed the guy who had been toying with keyboard against the wall headfirst until he stopped struggling. The area they were in was quite large with identical bay doors all over the place. A table in the middle was full of first aid kits, Al-Bhed potions, and rations. The table alongside of it was full of scavenging equipment and other miscellaneous items, including a few rifles. There was also a stretcher for the obvious use of carrying severely wounded Al-Bhed's to safety. Several automated turrets guarded the corners of the room. They must have been disabled or the Tengu's wouldn't have gotten in here so easily. It also felt as though the central air had been tampered with because the air felt muggy.

"This is where all the secret tunnels lead to." Rikku announced.

Snake could have told her that. If the overall structure of Home remained consistent, Snake would have to equate it to other places that were navigational headaches. The Hive and a few certain underground facilities he had found himself in weren't that accommodating, but if Rikku's people could live like this then that was their business. The bodies of the dead Al-Bhed's elicited a sad reaction from Rikku, who respectfully closed their eyes. She must not have known any of them very well because she didn't start bawling. Snake took a chance and darted out into the adjacent corridor early and saw that a couple of Tengu soldiers had been killed. If the guns they had weren't bolt action there would have been a few more subtractions to Solidus' unit.

Rikku rushed out of the corridor and ran ahead of Snake. There were multiple pathways all leading to automated doors. These wastefully expansive hallways were somewhat reminiscent of European mansions only they weren't quite as well decorated. They were still just as useless.

"To get to the armory we'll come across the holding cells. If Yuna is here, she will be there." Rikku announced as she ran into another room.

The new area they entered with Rikku in the lead was full of kitchen supplies. Five Tengu soldiers were inside clearing the area until a round from Raiden's grenade launcher ended their lives with a festive bang. Flour went flying everywhere. Snake held his breath as Rikku darted through the various aisles until she reached the end of the room. She looked around for a door and when she determined that there wasn't one she grabbed her hair in frustration and stomped her feet.

"This isn't the way!" Rikku pouted. "I'm sorry, let's go back."

Rikku went back into the hallway with the multiple doors and picked one seemingly at random. A descending staircase led them into the maintenance room where most of Home's finer features were run from. Their hot water, electricity, and security systems were all located here. A separate room housed the computers from where they operated their home defense systems from. Almost everything had been sabotaged including the elevator Otacon tried to call. There were more dead bodies down here and it seemed as if the Tengu's were winning the fight because of the fewer casualties on their side. Rikku took another door and by this time Snake was starting to lose his sense of direction. This place was built like a maze and he wasn't sure if the locations were placed accordingly, but he kept that to himself.

It seemed like all the rooms connected with each other almost like an ant hive. One could be in the kitchen and suddenly find themselves wandering into the girl's locker room if they weren't careful. Snake couldn't help but wonder how they managed to live under these scrambled conditions. Perhaps the person who had initially built Home hadn't planned ahead and instead just kept adding on rooms wherever he felt like putting them until it was one jumbled mess that everyone after him had to deal with. They entered into a room full of raw machinery. The Al-Bhed had been working on building machina in here. Robots still in construction were resting on tables while those that had been completed were being charged in maintenance alcoves. These machines weren't that large and didn't look as though they were fit for combat.

That's what the next room they entered was for. The same machina they fought on the ship during their stay in Luca was in here and being repaired as was the Shagohod knockoff and what had been left of the bathysphere Rikku had tried to kidnap Yuna with when they first met. Rikku changed directions and ran through a door on the left when she had been heading for one on the right. If she did this one more time, Snake would have to call her out. They passed through an actual armory full of gas masks, grenades, and rifles.

"Wait, hold up!" Snake said.

"This isn't the right armory. It's further down." Rikku said.

"No, but this would be a great time to get some armor piercing bullets." Snake said enthusiastically

"You're right!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Rikku, get stuff to modify other weapons with better piercing. Kimahri still have Tengu armor." Kimahri said.

She nodded affirmatively.

"It looks like we'll be spending a few minutes in here. Everyone take up positions and secure the room. Hal, Jacky boy, get over here." Snake said.

The three men tailed Rikku to the ammunition cabinets where she had to punch in yet another code. Her memory must have been quite impressive. Snake would be willing to bet a good chunk of money on the assumption that she was good at math. The cabinets slid open, revealing various metal ammunition boxes and satchels with unlimited storage capacity because nobody had time to be restricted by space these days. While they were left to find the bullets for themselves, Rikku occupied herself at a workbench next to a large chest full of raw materials. Everything she needed to do whatever she wanted with any weapon was finally within arm's reach. The amount of tools and gadgets around the workbench was positively daunting but Rikku knew how to use each and every one of them. She took everyone's weapons one by one and pimped them out until they went right through the sample of the Tengu body armor. Lulu was the first to offer her weapon to Rikku, who found herself wondering why she didn't just throw the doll at some of the tougher enemies if it had the touch of death and then realized that Lulu probably refrained from doing so because she didn't want the thing torn to shreds.

By synthesizing an electro marble, smoke bomb, and chocobo feather together she was able to give the Cait Sith doll a tougher exterior that made it nearly impervious to gunfire, explosions, and sharp objects. Rikku made Auron's sword lighter so he wouldn't have as much trouble swinging it around. Kimahri's spear received a similar upgrade. Both of them began testing out their enhanced weapons so they could get the feel of them as Rikku continued working. Her proficiency was almost magical. Modifications that would have taken hours were accomplished in mere minutes minutes by Rikku's customization expertise. Tidus' sword was converted into a gun blade. The caliber of the revolver was a solid .45, which ensured that Tidus would kill or at the very least severally injure whoever he battled with. She had already worked on one of Wakka's balls, but just so he wouldn't be left out of the enhancement party she made it so that whatever he struck would be knocked back by a fierce explosion.

When her turn came around she realized that there wasn't much she could do with her arm claw. Rikku had been trained to fight, but her true skills were obviously focused in mechanics and pottery. Even so, she endowed the claw with a fatal poison should she ever need to engage in combat. While she checked over all the weapons for any mistakes, Snake stood contemplating in front of the ammunition cabinet. Numbers were the same in Al-Bhed as they were in English so Snake was easily able to locate the appropriate ammunition for the guns they were using. He carried four boxes over to a nearby table. His two partners ejected their clips and laid them out on the table as Snake pried open the first box. Snake didn't bother looking at them. He didn't need references as he was quite familiar with bullets.

"AK-47." Snake announced, passing the box over to Hal.

Otacon began switching out all the ammunition in his bag with the new bullets. Snake opened the next box and found a load of bullets for his M4. He proceeded to restock his ammunition as well. Raiden decided to fetch his own ammunition by himself since Snake had abruptly become so preoccupied. All of the bullets they were loading up on would easily go through the armor of the Tengu soldiers.

"Raiden, do you still have your wig in case things get tricky?"

"Yeah, and I know you've got your bandanna. What about Otacon?"

"I carry around a lucky pen."

"Excellent, so we're all good with the new ammo."

"Whoa!" Wakka exclaimed. "Take a look at this bad boy."

While the others continued improving their armaments, Wakka explored to still his boredom and had found a gun wrapped up in a leather bag. It was the biggest one Wakka had personally seen and Snake's heart skipped a beat as the lust set in. He ran over to the cabinet and pulled out another box full of ammunition and couldn't help but grin devilishly. This was certainly another handy advantage for them to have. They were already prepared for some classic guerilla warfare, but nothing said insurgent better than the Stoner M63 machine gun.

"You found Angry William!" Rikku said. "We've been looking for that thing for months. Where did you find it?"

"It was stuck under the rifle shelf." Wakka said.

"Let me see it." she said.

Wakka passed the weapon to Rikku. She added an acog scope to enhance how the aim felt since the iron sights on the M63 were particularly ugly. Rikku retrieved a box clip from the leather bag and attached it to the weapon. Watching her load it was almost enough to make Snake fall in love with her on the spot. The way she handled the monster made it appear as if she had used it in the past.

"You don't actually intend to use that, do you?" Snake asked.

"I had it first." Rikku said assertively. "But it is my decision to let you borrow it since you probably know how to use it better than I do."

Rikku handed him the weapon. As he looked over his M63 a squad of ten Tengu's accidentally entered the room. Two of them were carrying overstuffed duffel bags. Obviously Team Yuna's intrusion had gone unnoticed or they would have been more alert. The Tengu's surveyed their opponents who now confidently stood ready for battle. Before Rikku's help they were forced to rely on only one person to defeat certain types of enemies and while her initial experiments with their weapons improved them slightly she just didn't have the materials to do what she had just done with them. Now they were all equally capable of fighting effectively as a unit. Nobody made a move to attack and all the attention fell on Snake as he lifted the M63 to his shoulder and aimed down the pristine acog sights. It was only then that the Tengu's decided to react, but it was far too late for them.

"Don't fear the reaper." Snake advised.

Those who had not heard an M63 fire before would now be able to clearly distinguish it. The sound itself seemed to embody Snake's personality. It was short, direct, and instantly to the point, the point here being that whoever was on the receiving end would love to get a chance to apologize but couldn't over the roar as bullets tore through them. Snake continued firing it even after he had mowed down the perpetrators. When the box clip emptied, his smile was tight enough to suggest that he'd recently undergone a Bowtox procedure. The brief giggles he emitted that somehow escaped his clenched teeth were highly disarming.

"Good God!" Otacon shouted.

"That's right. I giveth and taketh away." Snake said in a tone that betrayed his sanity.

"Who needs magic when you've got that thing?" Tidus asked nobody in particular.

"If that didn't alert everyone to our presence, I don't know what else would." Otacon said.

"Let them come, Hal." Snake urged. "Santa's giving bullets this year!"

Raiden reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of diazepam. He popped a pill out and carefully offered it to Snake, who gave him an odd look. Raiden added three more pills for a total of four. Snake snatched them out of his hand and chewed them before he swallowed.

"Now I'm better." Snake said.

Five box clips were in the bag Wakka had found the M63 in so Snake easily switched out his current one and reloaded. The jingle of the bullets as he fed them into the barrel made Otacon realize what he had meant by his awful Santa joke. Snake dumped his ammunition boxes in his super bag and adjusted himself. It looked as if the M4 would be taking a back seat for a while in light of the M63's appearance.

"If everyone's ready, let's get going." Snake commanded.

"Wait, what's in these bags the Tengu's are carrying?" Lulu asked.

Lulu knelt down beside a dead body and pulled a duffel bag ravaged by bullets away from the mess that had once been a soldier. She unzipped them and dove inside. Solid gold bars marred by greedy hands gleamed up at her.

"Money." Auron said indifferently. "Apparently it's not enough for them to attack this base. They have to plunder it as well."

Rikku checked her claw and continued forward in a rush. She stepped past the smoldering corpses and entered the room they had just come out of. A staircase leading further down came into view. They descended and reached a branching hallway. Rikku took the left and tore through two Tengu's standing guard at a door they had blown open with some C4. Solidus obviously didn't have time for cryptology. Codes were for geeks. Explosives were much more efficient at gaining entry. Snake established a silent plan with Otacon and Raiden through the use of hand gestures. Snake put himself up against the wall as Raiden stood beside him so he could get a clear shot at whoever poured out of the hole while Otacon watched their backs. Panicked commands were being issued on the other side of the wall. Snake pulled out a stun grenade and lobbed it in. After it went off the three men rushed into the room and began clearing it of the Tengu's while Team Yuna followed them in from behind.

Snake assessed that they were in a jail of sorts that had approximately ten cells. The Al-Bhed obviously didn't have that much of a problem with crime. Since they were a close knit community made up mostly of family, this was to be expected. However, this room was perfect for housing the summoners. There were more Al-Bhed casualties littering the area and a few Tengu's managed to duck into some open cells after the grenade had gone off. There was absolutely no ideal cover in the room for those outside the cells. Aside from a desk with the body of an Al-Bhed whose throat had been slit and a cart of food, the area was completely open. Snake dropped into a prone position so he wasn't as much of a target. He had his M63 aimed appropriately just in time to take the head off of one Tengu who jumped the gun a bit early. The machine gun was quite clumsy on the ground without a tripod, but Snake was able to manage without one. He began firing indiscriminately throughout the room, decorating the jail with bullet holes. When he stopped to reload, three Tengu's jumped out of their hiding places and were taken care of by Wakka, Raiden, and Lulu. Snake had expected and hoped at least one of them would have been that stupid.

"Is that all of them?" Raiden asked.

"Surrender now or die!" Snake shouted.

Four more soldiers came out from the cells with their hands over their heads. Two of them were wearing backpacks.

"Turn around and walk to the wall in front of you." Snake ordered.

The four men did as they were told.

"Get down on your stomachs. Keep your hands on your head and keep your face planted on the ground."

"But I've got the keys!" one of them exclaimed nervously.

Snake stood up and threw the M63 around his shoulder where it rested snugly alongside his mystical bag. He pulled out his M1911 and motioned for Kimahri to come and join him. The Ronso did so obediently.

"Name and rank, soldier." Snake ordered.

"Johnny Sasaki, specialist, sir!"

"Oh, God." Snake muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Looks like someone is moving up in the world pretty fast." Otacon observed.

"You're that guy, aren't you?" Snake asked.

"What guy?"

"The one who Meryl violated that always shits his pants."

"You remember me?"

"How could I forget? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, after leaving Solidus' unit before the Big Shell turned into Arsenal Gear, I became a freelancer. I gained employment as a security guard at a place called SGC. It is a very good job for me to have at this point in my life. Unfortunately, I was drawn to this weird ring thing and after playing around with the controls when nobody else was around I wound up here."

Snake slapped his own face in stunned aggravation.

"They trusted you not to mess with that device, Johnny." Snake said.

"I know. That's what hurts me the most. Solidus was poking around the area I found myself in and killed this monster that was about to eat me. I was sort of forced back under his command on the spot."

"Back up to the sound of my voice. Raiden, shoot whoever moves." Snake instructed.

"What?" Johnny shouted.

"I meant besides you!"

"Whew, that's a load off of my mind!"

Johnny backed up until he reached Snake, who turned him around and kept his gun pointed at him while Kimahri provided added intimidation by preparing to impale Johnny if he tried something funny. Snake searched Johnny's body until he found the set of keys to the cells.

"I wouldn't suppose you'd know why you're here, would you?" Snake asked.

"I do know why I'm here! If you're looking for Yuna you just missed her about five minutes ago." Johnny replied. "I can't tell you what else is going on aside from that. We weren't briefed as a whole to prevent stuff like this from happening and compromising our entire operation."

"Then why are you still hanging out in here?"

"Well, we were supposed to catch you guys alive if you showed up. It didn't work, though. I tell you what, when it comes to magic, explosives, and that nasty gun you've got there, we're pretty much screwed! The clergy is working on that, though. They're thinking about deploying mages alongside us and we might be getting some new armor tomorrow morning. I can't wait, I hope it breathes better. Sooner or later we might actually be a match for your team, but that's not to say we can't hold our own against anyone else!"

"Can you believe this guy?" Raiden chided.

"No, it's okay." Snake assured Johnny with a pat on the back. "Keep talking. What else do you know?"

"Will you just get us out of here?" a familiar voice demanded.

Without having to see a face he knew that was Dona. Snake looked at the keys he was holding and thought twice about letting her go. She wasn't even strong enough to complete the pilgrimage so it would be more practical to just leave her here. The Al-Bhed were doing her a favor by baring her from making that painful decision herself. Dona's ego would be her downfall. At least that's how it all played out in Snake's little fantasy.

"Take your buddies and get out of here, specialist. If you come back with reinforcements, you will die. Got it?" Snake said with enough venom to make Johnny fear for his life.

"Do you think that maybe I could come with you instead?" Johnny asked. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a bad guy. At first I thought I was because of how much I liked being a Sith in Star Wars RP's, but now I'm thinking I shouldn't have based my career choice on something so trivial."

"Get moving!" Snake shouted.

Johnny and his team of miscreants ran from the room in fear without their equipment. Tidus began searching the other cells to make sure they weren't lying about Yuna not being here while Raiden ate some of the food on the cart. Snake walked over to the cell where the horrid noise had come from. Dona's sex doll Barthello was in the cell with her sitting with his legs pulled up against his chest like the whipped pussy Snake thought he was. He passed them and went to the next cell where Issaru and his Guardians were quietly waiting to be freed. It was a shame Dona didn't try to claw at him through the bars like he had hoped she would as he passed her.

He freed Issaru first and then reluctantly came to Dona's rescue.

"Would you happen to have an Echo Screen potion?" Issaru asked.

Snake had to double check and make sure Raiden wasn't speaking. Lulu caught the request and retrieved the appropriate mixture from her bag and gave it to him.

"We were all cursed before being detained so we wouldn't be able to use magic." Issaru explained.

He took a drink of the potion and handed it to Dona, who finished it off.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't protect Yuna." Issaru continued. "Would you happen to know why they took her?"

"No." Snake lied. "But they obviously want something from her."

If he were to tell them that Seymour was forcing the wedding down her throat and that she was reluctant to join with him in monotonous monogamy because of the fact that he had killed his father it would raise too many questions. Snake respected Issaru, but the man was probably totally oblivious to the bigger picture.

"Why didn't those ingrates free us?" Dona demanded. "Did they not think we were as capable as Yuna or are they too busy sorting out the Al-Bhed?"

"Sorting us out?" Rikku shouted. "How could you say something like that? We were trying to protect you!"

"Protect us from what? Death? Do you think I fear death?" Dona demanded. "I knew what my life would be like the moment I became a summoner. We are needed! It's no wonder your home was attacked if you keep the very thing Spira relies on all to yourself."

"But there's another way!" Rikku insisted. "Auron has told me about it."

"Yes, and I wouldn't want to see you wasting your time by explaining it to them." Auron said. "Dona, your take on this situation is positively deplorable. Are you saying that you support the genocide of the Al-Bhed?"

Dona thought about it for a moment before responding.

"If they would have stayed in line with Yevon's teachings then none of this would have happened."

"Go ahead and hide behind that shield while you still can." Auron said. "Your lack of sympathy is hardly befitting of a summoner."

Rikku looked as if she were about to cry her eyes out. Otacon and Wakka stood beside her and tried to cheer her up through silent support. Rikku toughened up with their help and wouldn't allow herself to grieve in front of Dona, but her eyes clearly showed that she was going through hell on the inside. Yuna's blood was definitely in her. Snake was not very impressed with Dona. His opinion of her had been low to begin with, but now it had hit rock bottom. This would be the only time he helped her get through anything.

"What about you, Issaru?" Snake asked.

"I don't think the Al-Bhed should have interfered with our practice, but I am grateful for the detour. It has given me time to do some thinking. I must admit I was not ready to totally give myself up. There were whispers in my soul keeping my mind clouded, but now I have gathered myself for the task ahead. Let me make it clear that I do not condone the assault they used to free Yuna."

"We never would have made it out of here without one." Dona said ruefully.

Issaru smirked and gave Dona a side-long glance. His expression was one of delighted amusement at such befuddled ignorance.

"What do you mean by giving yourself up?" Tidus asked dubiously. "You make it sound as if you'll really die during this journey. Isn't that why you travel with Guardians? They're supposed to protect you, right?"

Rikku and Snake exchanged horrified glances with one another. Auron popped his neck. Lulu made the funniest grimace Raiden had ever seen. Dona laughed at the question and then proceeded to answer it before Snake could get out his M9 and stop her.

"That's what summoners do. It is our duty to sacrifice ourselves for the good of Spira so that Sin can be defeated. This clearly involves throwing our lives away. Of course we die to complete this task. Have you not been traveling with a summoner for almost a month now? How could you not know?" Dona asked.

For Dona that explanation was relatively tame. Snake was surprised. Still, she could have broken it to him in a gentler way.

"If you're finished you can leave now." Auron said.

"We will. Bevelle has no reason to stop a summoner. Come, Barthello. Let's get out of here." Dona said.

The two of them left the others behind without another word, although Barthello did glance back at them worriedly. Snake turned his attention to Tidus, who looked as if he'd been hit across the face with a wet carp. Deep down inside, Tidus had been expecting this ever since he accidentally heard Auron and Snake talk about it during their stay at the Thunder Plains. He looked to the others for an explanation, but they all shied away from him in guilt. His relationship with Yuna had been too pure to spoil after he got past the initial bumps and bruises. None of them could bring themselves to tell him that she would eventually meet her end during the summoning of the Final Aeon. They obviously knew this from the beginning, but he couldn't blame them for not talking about it. After all, why would it need to be brought up? It wouldn't solve anything and would only make Yuna feel worse. Tidus felt bad about all the things he had promised they would do after the journey was over. If he had known any of this he would have chosen his words more carefully.

Guilt turned into a small coal of anger as he looked at Solid Snake. Tidus knew better than to try and fight the man. He'd wind up on his ass in no time flat and that would also not solve anything. The fact that he had tossed around half-truths upset Tidus more than anything else. Then again, there was a fierce determination in him and he had promised he wouldn't let Yuna die. So long as he kept his word all of this could be forgiven.

"Tell me the whole truth, Snake." Tidus demanded.

Snake looked to Auron, who shook his head in protest. Isaaru and his band of buddies were still in the room with them. They must have incorrectly assumed that they still had business with them and elected to stay behind to be of assistance should it need to be given. None of them needed to hear what Snake had to say. It would be better for both of them that way. Helping them escape wasn't in the original plan and Snake was pretty sure they could just waltz right out unharmed since they had no idea of what was really going on. Issaru had no reason to hide from Seymour or the soldiers.

"I can't tell you anything about it right now." Snake said.

"Wait until later, Tidus." Auron said.

"I'd also like to hear about this grand plan of yours." Lulu added. "I figured we'd be past slinking about behind each other's backs by now. I'd also like to know what you're hiding about yourself, Auron."

"That ties into the greater scheme of things." Auron said.

"Why didn't any of you tell me that she'll die if she completes the pilgrimage?" Tidus asked.

"You've given Yuna more than any of us could have." Lulu replied. "In a way, it was good for her to have at least one friend who didn't know the whole truth."

"How come none of you tried to stop her?" Tidus asked.

"Not even Ronso can stop the determination that comes from the heart." Kimahri replied.

"You might think it's selfish of everyone to let her do something like this, but whoever tried to stop her would also be selfish." Wakka said. "Catch-22, ya?"

"She can still turn back." Rikku explained. "She can turn back at any time."

"We're too deep into this to turn back." Auron said sharply. "I've been through this same horror story once before and I don't intend to stand by idly and let Yuna suffer the same fate. Nobody else can do what we will do. Tidus, we don't have time for this exposition quite yet. We've got to get moving."

"Fine." Tidus said with a deep sigh. "Let's get to that armory. By the way, don't let anything Dona said bother you, Rikku. People like that. . .they're just full of anger. You can't take them seriously."

She nodded and offered him a smile.

"Any time you're ready, Rikku." Snake requested.

He turned to Issaru as the others left.

"I'm sorry, but we're not going to be able to escort you out of here." Snake told them.

"That's alright. It is more than enough that you took the time to free us." Issaru said gratefully. "Your team is quite talented and I gather from what I've heard that you have your own agenda. Do as you will and do not worry about us. We are just as capable of taking care of ourselves should those barbarians try to attack us as we make our escape. I wish you the best of luck."

Issaru and his Guardians gave Snake that silly Yevon salute. Snake tried to return it, but did so awkwardly. To make up for it he gave them a military salute instead. Issaru mimicked it the best he could to be polite. He was quite impressed by Issaru's respectful nature despite how deeply he was ingrained into the Yevon religion.

"You really aren't as much of an ass as Dona, are you?" Snake asked.

"I merely see the same matters in a different light. Please, do not let us keep you any longer."

"Issaru." Snake said. "Whatever happens, don't get in our way. We want the same thing as you, but we're going to have to achieve it unconventionally."

He was vaguely referring to the backlash they would inevitably receive when they rescued Yuna from Seymour and partially what would happen when they met with Auron's nemesis in Zanarkand. Seymour would undoubtedly leak a fake fiasco to the public that would make it impossible for Yuna to continue without doing exactly what he wanted. He had set up quite a trap for them. In response to Snake's cryptic warning, Issaru could only think to nod and smile as he knew of no other way to react. Snake left him and rejoined the group. They took a few twists and turns before they arrived at another door that had been blown off of its hinges with the use of C4. Snake felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his gut. The Tengu's had obviously been this way before them. Thankfully the room hadn't been savagely raided. It was set up like any forgetful storage room would be. Shelves stretched to the ceiling lined with items and odd gadgets. Mechanical structures that could have been part of anything were lined up against the walls.

Snake only recognized a few of the items the Al-Bhed apparently didn't understand, one of which was a Super Nintendo with an unlabeled cartridge already inserted into it. He was about to say they needed a television when he spotted an HDTV sitting alongside an ice cream maker. Now all they needed was a power source and a set of composite cables and they could rock it out sixteen bit style with the recliner sitting next to the keg. Rikku ran into a room where the Al-Bhed kept their sensitive things behind a glass display case. A control panel near the head of the room operated the locks of each barrier. The body of a dead Al-Bhed woman was slumped over it. Raiden gently pulled her off of it and laid her to rest as respectfully as he could so Rikku could operate the panel. It soon became very obvious why they had gone through so much trouble of locking up their incomprehensible goods. Snake spotted a Terminator chasis standing imposingly in place. Another display held a peculiar book up on a pedestal bearing a pentagram trapping three circles within the middle of the star pressed into the cover. As Snake looked at it the book opened up to a blank page that began bleeding ink until it formed a legible sentence.

_Save me._ was how the text read.

"Holy shit!" Otacon exclaimed.

Snake broke out of the trance the book had him in and spotted Otacon peering through another display. Otacon usually only swore so harshly when he was asked of his opinion regarding the state of P2P file sharing in America so Snake was taken by surprise.

"What's got your panties in such a knot?" Snake asked jokingly.

He stood beside his friend and spotted what had upset Otacon so much.

"Oh, Jesus!" Snake shouted.

Two vials were suspended inside the square transparent container they both were looking at. There didn't seem to be any way to open it and get at the vials. They must have been permanently sealed inside. One was filled with a green liquid while the other was filled with a blue liquid. Unless they were snow cone flavorings Snake was looking at the T-Virus and its cure. Snake was wrong when he thought that this was nothing but a place for the Al-Bhed to dump their garbage. Some of the stuff they had found really shouldn't have been tampered with. Rikku tapped a few commands into the panel and opened all the cases.

"If you can carry it, grab it." Rikku said. "They were really stupid not to have taken everything!"

Kimahri picked up the Terminator chasis and held it sideways. Raiden bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood so he wouldn't laugh. Rikku retrieved an odd black gun that had a blinking power display near the sights and fitted the provided holster to her hip. She slipped the gun through it. Auron retrieved the creepy book. Wakka picked up four crystals that were colored like the four main elements. Lulu seized a bag of odd stones that had the phases of the moon painted onto them. Snake picked up the nearly impenetrable container that held the T-Virus. Raiden grabbed a regular 8-Ball and grinned. He'd always loved these things. Tidus retrieved two katana's, one of which was in a bright red scabbard. Everything else was madly thrown into Rikku's bag of holding. She finally got to the container that held the Predator's wrist watches. Rikku sat it down on a table and opened it.

"Oh, no!" Rikku cried.

They were all gone except for one that had been placed on its face. Rikku flipped it over and heard a distinctive beep. The next noise awoke a feeling of terror that hadn't ravaged Snake in years. A bunch of little red dots appeared on the five separate screens glaring up at them.

"It's armed!" Rikku shouted. "How long do we have?"

Snake counted each digit and determined when the device would explode at the rate they ticked down.

"Probably less than ten minutes. Nobody panic! We're not dead yet, got it?" Snake said.

"Can you disarm it?" Tidus asked.

"No. Once it's fully armed and operational it can't be tampered with." Rikku replied.

"Then how are we going to get out of here in less than ten minutes? There's no way we can do that on foot." Wakka said.

"There should be an airship nearby, but unless it's already warmed up we won't be able to use it."

"Can it get us out of here before the bomb goes off?" Lulu asked.

"It could. We might be able to clear the radius." Rikku replied.

"Then that's the only chance we've got!" Raiden exclaimed.

"Run like hell!" Snake shouted.

Rikku bolted out of the room and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She could really move, but then again so could everyone else. The thought of being caught near the center of a nuclear explosion was very unpleasant and elicited an adrenaline rush that would almost seem endless to even the most athletically challenged Burger King baby. Snake lost track of where they were again, but that no longer mattered. They wouldn't be doing any backtracking. Eventually they came upon a large bay door that had already been opened. Perhaps the most notable object in the room was the magnificently large airship floating in a dry dock. It was gaudily decorated and looked like a first grader drank watercolors and hurled all over the hull. The loud roar of the engine located near the back in a structure similar to a wheel could only mean that the airship was ready to take off. They were lucky that it hadn't yet. More causalities spiced up the scenery and the room was absolutely full of opposition. Tengu's were pouring out of every corner and crevice like cockroaches. Crates of supplies were everywhere with Al-Bhed children hiding fearfully behind them.

This explained the lack of bodies in the other rooms. The Al-Bhed must have known they were up against more than they could handle and were now making a complete retreat. There were two entrances to the ship. One was near the back at the cargo hold. The other was near the front and lead into a commons area. Both entrances were accessible only by a wide ramp. Tengu's were currently pouring into both of them. They must have been unaware of the nuclear bomb. It made sense to sacrifice a few units to ensure that the Al-Bhed did not get away. Displaced Al-Bhed's armed with better rifles fought it out with the enemy in various places, but they appeared to be losing the ship. The entire area was unsecured and completely unsafe. If anything, the airship was what needed to be defended. They would have to get everyone inside of it. Snake immediately took cover behind a tractor and aimed his M63 at the ramp leading into the commons area and mowed down the cluster of Tengu's who were flooding it. Those with guns took care of who he missed after finding suitable vantage points.

A stray Tengu decloaked near Snake and prepared to cut him down with his katana when a red laser struck him in the chest. The soldier was engulfed in a white light for a brief second and completely disintegrated. All that was left of him was a charred skeleton that quickly fell apart. Snake turned to see Rikku holding the gun she had picked up earlier. She twirled it with Ocelot's grace and nodded at him. Snake returned his attention to the ramp. It was now clear, but it still could be dangerous to rush.

"We've got to get to the ship, but we can't do that until we secure the area!" Raiden said.

"Wait." Lulu said.

"What?" Raiden demanded.

His battle fury was quickly calmed by how badly Lulu was shaking.

"I don't know about the ship, but I can take care of this area right now."

"In that case, it's all yours!" Raiden said.

Lulu nodded and began casting her spell. A wave of wind erupted around her, encircling her body. Gusts whipped at all those nearby. Lulu's eyes went into the back of her skull as she scanned the area through her spirit for each and every target she needed to take out. After making the appropriate calculations and omitting the friendlies she chanted the last line to her spell and then spoke in clear English.

"Witness Ultima and know the true power of black magic."

She clapped both of her hands together in front of her face. The entire room went black as everyone was temporarily sucked into a shapeless dimension. Screams echoed through the void as Tengu soldiers were killed by misshapen blobs of muted colors visible for mere seconds that literally erased their existence like bleach would to a stain. Once they had all been removed from the fabric of life, Lulu's spell was over as was most of her endurance. Anyone else would have passed out after having cast such a high level spell, but Lulu had enough experience to cope with the aftereffects. Technically she shouldn't have used Ultima as she wasn't entirely familiar with it yet. If she had messed up, they would have all been killed. She kept that kernel of knowledge to herself.

"We're good to go." Lulu muttered as her skin became more pale.

"_Nicr dra creb!_" Rikku shouted.

"Rush the ship!" Snake translated for the Al-Bhed impaired.


	24. Chapter 23 : Flight of Icarus

**Chapter 23 : Flight of Icarus.**

The Al-Bhed's who had been trapped by the conflict with the Tengu's emerged from their hiding places and prepared to take back the ship now that Lulu's spell had cleared the way for everyone.

"Rikku, can you pilot the ship yourself?" Snake asked.

"I should be able to." Rikku replied. "I take it you just want to go straight to the cockpit?"

"No, I was thinking about camping out here for the next twenty minutes and waiting for the stragglers to catch up. Wait, there's a bomb! Let's wait thirty minutes instead so we can make sure it explodes." Snake said sarcastically.

"Geez, sorry!" Rikku said.

"Do you think everyone made it to ship?" Otacon asked.

Rikku's expression dropped and the color drained from her face as she turned away from Otacon in disgust. Otacon took that as a no and felt bad for asking such an obvious question with a negative answer. As far as she knew, her father and brother would definitely be aboard the ship. She couldn't account for the presence of anyone else. At the very least the only two remaining members of her immediate family were safe and that was all she really needed. Rikku felt guilty for dealing with this situation so selfishly, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Some of the people she had grown up with could still be trapped within Home as she neared her escape from it. They would have to be left behind, but she would be sure to avenge all of their deaths. Snake wanted to tell those boarding the ship that a nuclear bomb was about to go off so they'd pick up their pace, but he decided against it.

Once aboard the ship he ducked behind a table that had been turned over and scanned the area. Tables and couches populated the vicinity and a huge glass window was at the end for optimal viewing during flight. Other than those two features the room was fairly bland. It had either not been fully furnished because the Al-Bhed didn't have enough time to make the room look more comfortable or there weren't any plans to turn it into a lounge. Gunfire echoed in the distance, indicating that the ship wasn't completely safe yet. A few of the Al-Bhed's carrying guns issued commands to the women and children. About fifth-teen soldiers dispersed through the three exits available while five stayed behind and began sealing the doors. Wakka and Lulu boarded the ship last. Lulu was not recovering from Ultima like she should have been and had to sit down again despite the urgency of their predicament. Snake decided to allow for this.

"Wakka, stay with Lulu. Keep him company, Raiden." Snake instructed.

Rikku lead the team again as they made their way through the airship. Along the way they mowed down several units as efficiently as Snake could have hoped for. Whatever gun Rikku was carrying did a number on the Tengu's. Watching them get stripped down to the bone in an instant was quite unsettling. A few of them managed to sneak up behind the members who did not have guns, but they didn't last very long when Kimahri started swinging the Terminator around. He struck one man hard enough to send him flying out of an open window. To even the odds and account for the absence of their mages, Kimahri and Tidus cast haste on everyone but Snake, who figured their reaction was a little delayed but tactical regardless of the timing. Snake soon found himself having to catch up with everyone else as they flew past him. He followed the trail of black ashes and eventually came into a room that couldn't be anything other than the cockpit.

Several command terminals were scattered throughout the room and a large interactive globe displayed Spira's topography silently as it slowly spun on its axis. The piloting must have been done from the seat at the front and center of the room as it had motorcycle handlebars protruding from it and that was the only thing nearby that looked remotely capable of manually steering the vessel they were on. Two additional seats were to the right and left of the pilot's seat. Their window to the outside world encased the entire nose of the airship, ensuring that if they ran into something it would not be entirely accidental. Rikku climbed atop the pilot's seat and worked the computer for a moment. When she was satisfied she adjusted the height of her seat to accommodate for the handle bars.

"Snake!" Rikku called.

"I'm here." he answered.

"Get into the seat to my left!"

"You heard her, Otacon." Snake said.

There was no doubt that Snake was a highly skilled soldier and a desirable pawn, but when it came to certain tasks he sometimes knew less than the average civilian did. One such gray area he always had trouble with was computers and the other one was flying. He'd tried to get a pilot's license in the past, but after failing a few times he decided to leave the helicopters to the people who could actually use them. That's why he had Otacon for a partner. Otacon was quite an aviator and highly proficient in just about every aspect of computing. The man knew how to change a desktop, for God's sake. Snake had grown awfully tired of staring at the crappy one that had come preloaded with his outrageously lavish PC that he bought for no other reason than to have the best specifications on the market. In addition to helping him with that, Otacon had also displayed admirable proficiency when he had organized Snake's music library in WinAmp. He couldn't remember quite how Hal had done it, but that didn't matter. Otacon jumped into the seat alongside Rikku and examined the touch based panel in front of him to get a feel for the controls. Above them they could hear a large slab grinding open and the sound of sand pouring down on the airship. Rikku began moving the airship with the handle bars and managed to ascend the blimp out of the pit without catching it against the side. Her seat moved in the direction she steered, which gave her the virtual feeling of actually driving the thing.

The moment they cleared the pit, Rikku brought the ship around. The two Metal Gear's and the airships that had carried them in were nowhere in sight. Home still looked relatively intact and several of the turret towers were still there. If the initial plan had been to destroy Home using Metal Gear, it looked as though they had failed. However, they still managed to retrieve what they came for. Tengu's were running around outside the entrance, trying to figure out why their ship had left them. Snake automatically saluted the poor fools. Though they were his enemies, they still didn't deserve to die like they were about to. Home panned out of view and was replaced with the vast expanse of the Bikanel desert.

"Fire the afterburners!" Rikku advised.

Otacon guffawed at her confidence in him as he picked out a button at random and pressed it. The loud roar coming from behind them could have been mistaken for the explosion itself, which erupted seconds after the afterburner fired. This made for a positively deafening experience. Rikku kept the ship steady as it shook violently on the verge of spinning out of control. It sounded and felt like the blimp was screaming in terror at the mushroom cloud it was trying to outrun. Whatever engine the airship ran on was enough to help them escape the full brunt of the explosion. However, the moment the afterburners finally shut down a red warning light appeared on the panel in front of Otacon. Text scrolled across the touch based display in Al-Bhed that told him what he could have guessed. The blast had nicked a piece of their engine. If left as it was, they wouldn't be able to make as much of a daring escape any time soon.

Rikku swung the ship around to see how bad the damage was. As expected, there was absolutely nothing left of Home but a glass crater. While she stood frozen in shock by the immense destruction, Snake located a radio that would allow him to speak with the whole ship. The other members of the team silently paid their respects to the dead in their own unique ways.

"This is your captain speaking. Now I know all of you are wondering what just happened so allow me to explain. To the Tengu's. Those of you following Solidus should look out of your nearest window this instant and ask yourselves if that could have been you had you not hitched a ride. I shall now pause to allow you to reflect on this." Snake announced.

Thirty seconds of silence passed by. Rikku sighed painfully, plotted a course to nowhere, and turned the autopilot on. She then began the grieving process, which involved racking sobs muted to the best of her ability that sent shivers down Tidus' spine. The whole team was on top of her in a second, showering her with the support she needed. Snake decided he'd wait and catch her alone a little later if she was still distressed as getting the Tengu's to surrender was slightly more important.

"I don't know how many of you stowaways there are, but I do know that any stowaway not in a fetal position with his gun at least twenty feet away from him or her had better hide and hope I don't find them." Snake said. "But that would be a waste of effort on your part because I will find all of you."

Snake let the retractable device fall back into place with a loud clunk. They could break the news to the Al-Bhed's in their own language when Rikku was ready to share. For now, it would help if their opponents decided to surrender. The unit could still have a minority of fiercely loyal soldiers that might not be so easily dissuaded to turn on their superiors. That's what the M63 was for. Since Rikku wasn't showing any signs of immediate improvement and probably wouldn't for a few days, Snake decided to go and check on Lulu. Before he could leave, the singular door leading in and out of the room slid open. Snake's itchy trigger finger would have gotten to him if Tidus hadn't pulled away his arm just as his gnarled forefinger began to curl. Two men entered, one of whom was immediately recognizable as Rikku's brother.

The other individual was an older gentleman with a bald head. His absence of hair wasn't possibly by choice and looked as though it were a suitable means to cover up a receding hairline. He carried a heavily used K-98 with him.

"Who the hell is touting themselves as the captain of this joint?" he demanded.

"That'd be me. I take it by your knowledge of English that you're in some way affiliated with Rikku, correct?"

"That's right, hotshot. She's my daughter. Where is she and who are you? And what the hell is English?"

"_Vydran!_" Rikku cried. "_E's cu kmyt oui'na cyva, pid _**Home**_ ec kuha!"_

"Oh, boy." Otacon said as he cracked open Tidus' primer. "Here we go."

Rikku sought further refuge by clinging to her father, which was somewhat awkward due to the rifle he was holding. He looked out the window and saw the massive pit of sand that might become a tourists attraction until the winds covered the hole back up with sand in a few months. Fiends had gathered far and wide to see what all the commotion had been about. After collectively concluding that this problem didn't have anything to do with them they turned on each other and began brawling. This humorous display, complete with a sandworm trying to eat another sandworm, did little to lift the spirits of the crew aboard the airship.

"Damn it. Well, the plan was to blow it up anyway if it was ever compromised. They just saved us the trouble of doing so." Rikku's father said.

"That's not even half of it. Do you know what they used as explosives?" Snake asked.

"Judging by the blast, I'd have to say that they used those nuclear manicure sets. If so many of them hadn't managed to sneak in with their infernal invisible suits we would have had a better chance. They were all over us before we knew what was going on. We had no other choice but to retreat to the airship. I sent a squad to recover some of the more precious weird items we've found, but they never reported back."

"We managed to get some of those." Tidus said. "But if you don't have those bombs then I guess we know who does."

"Is that bad?" Rikku's father asked.

"Did you see that little robot outside? It's capable of firing a missile into a combat zone from a safe distance. If they strap those makeup kits to a missile then you can expect a similar scenario with virtually no way of stopping it unless you're right there with a rocket launcher."

"Those towers did a good job of discouraging it." Auron offered.

"Yeah, that's what they were built for. If all we had to fight were those two mechanical dinosaurs then we'd have probably been fine unless they had ten of them." Cid said.

"Does this airship carry the same weapons system as the towers?" Snake asked.

"Yes, but it's not ready yet. Who are you, anyway?"

"Call me Snake." he replied. "And you are?"

"Cid." Rikku's father replied. "Aren't you one of Yuna's guardians?"

Snake nodded. Cid sneered at him in disappointment.

"You certainly did your job."

"There's a lot more at work here than we can handle and if you're still worried about her dying you can stop. I have a plan." Auron said.

"That's already been established. Are you going to explain now or wait until later?" Tidus asked.

"Maybe we should wait until we've got Lulu and Wakka here." Auron replied.

Tidus cried out in exasperation and bolted out of the door with such ferocity that no one could help but look to each other for answers that couldn't be given. A few minutes later he came back carrying Lulu in his arms with Wakka and Raiden right behind him. Tidus collapsed into an open seat with Lulu in his lap.

"Snake, there are Tengu's out there who are literally in fetal positions." Tidus panted, out of breath.

"Good!" Snake said. "We'll let them roast until this is over."

"Fine with me. Now tell me how we're going to save Yuna!" Tidus demanded.

Auron adjusted his sunglasses.

"In order to defeat Sin, the summoner must have the Final Aeon. The Final Aeon is selected from one of their Guardians and he or she becomes the next Sin. Yunalesca is the person who ordains that selected guardian. She also knows the most about this process as she facilitates the entire procedure. With that in mind, I couldn't understand how she was able to ignore the rebirth and I demanded that she tell me how Sin could be permanently destroyed. When she refused, I tried to fight her."

"How well did that turn out?" Tidus asked.

"Quite poorly." Auron replied.

He suddenly became completely transparent just like Seymour had after he had been blown up. This was usually how the unsent showed off their pyreflies to each other. His ability to do so marked him as having previously been killed. Everyone in the room but Snake elicited a horrid gasp of pure shock. Auron turned his lights off and continued with his pity party.

"My death was not immediate. I managed to make my way down into the Calm Lands before I could no longer sustain my injuries. I had been entrusted by Braska to protect Yuna as she no longer had any family. That drive kept me alive long enough to pass my goal to Kimahri."

"Couldn't you have just used Phoenix Down on him?" Raiden asked Kimahri. "It seems you do that to whatever dies and they get right back up again."

"Special situation, much like Jacky boy himself." Kimahri said. "Feathers of Phoenix only useful under correct conditions. Death is death. Feathers of Phoenix cannot save you from it."

"I died. Or rather, I thought I did. To make a long story short, my attachment to this world contributed to my resurrection. After being revived I intended to fulfill another promise that I could not have easily kept if not for the condition I was in."

"Jecht asked you to watch over me, didn't he?" Tidus asked.

"That's right."

"Then. . .you're really not my uncle?"

"I am in no way related to you."

Tidus was visibly affected by that part of the revelation.

"I guess you could think of me that way if you really wanted to." Auron said uncomfortably. "I was there for your first game, wasn't I?"

"Yeah." Tidus said with a nod. "That was one of the times you were around."

"I couldn't babysit you every day. I was busy crafting my plan together."

"Which is?" Lulu encouraged insistently.

"First, we will have a talk with Yunalesca. Then, we will go inside Sin and have a discussion with Jecht. After that, there's nothing to stop us from debating with Yu Yevon. He's the real problem."

"So they're living inside of Sin?" Otacon asked.

"Not in the sense that they are having tea together. Jecht is there physically while Yu Yevon is there spiritually."

"How sure are you of that?" Lulu asked. "And how do you propose we get inside Sin?"

"I'm very sure this plan will work and we'll just fly right in. Jecht is expecting us. Let's try not to worry too much about it when we should be focused with finding Yuna. She is definitely in Bevelle, the capital of Spira."

"You're going to rescue her?" Cid asked.

"Of course." Auron replied.

"Does she know anything about what you've just said?" Tidus asked.

"Not a word." Auron replied. "Initially I figured I would gradually warm her up to the idea due to how grounded she was in tradition. You and Snake have changed the situation substantially. When we rescue her you may tell her of this plan. I am certain she will accept it."

"We should get this ship organized first." Snake said. "We can't go in unprepared."

"Wait. What was up with that spell Lulu used?"

"It's the most powerful in black magic. It consumes everything, not just the enemies of whoever decided to use it. The power that comes from it is dark and it is consequently very hard to handle. I hope I never have to cast that spell again. White magic has a counterpart called Holy that acts differently and doesn't require an intense amount of concentration to control." Lulu explained.

"So if you had sneezed we probably would have been dead as well, right?" Raiden asked.

"I am above such mistakes. Only the very best mages can even hope to learn spells of that level, much less be able to cast them at all once they know how to."

"Interesting. Cid, how long will it take to get this ship running?" Snake asked.

"Less than four hours." Cid said. "There should be plenty of people here. I'll handle how the ship is staffed. From this point forth, I'm the captain. This is my ship, after all."

**X**

The amount of people who managed to get into the airship before Home exploded was staggering. Truly it was due to their highly coordinated escape plan. Rikku was in much better spirits when she began finding people she knew. Many of her acquaintances gathered in the commons area after Cid made an announcement to regroup there. Rin was even present and there was much rejoicing. Apparently he was there to run maintenance on the ship, which had coincidentally been certified for use a day ago. A total of ninety three people had survived. Home itself generally had around two hundred and fifty citizens running around inside at any given time while hundreds more were doing business in Spira's mainland. There was enough space around the airship to accommodate the significant proportion of survivors. They had been decorating the interior of the ship for a while now and there were plenty of spare rooms available so long as the Al-Bhed were willing to share, which wasn't a problem. Snake was lucky enough to get his own room and found the living space similar to a nice compact apartment somewhere on the grounds of a university. These rooms were crammed neatly into the middle of the ship.

Everyone worked together to make the ship habitable. Women stocked the kitchens, Snake found the booze, mechanics took a look at the damaged engine and drew up a plan for the weapons system, Cid and his family staffed the cockpit with a few other people in addition to themselves, and Auron sealed away the mysterious items they had recovered from Home's eerie vault. While tinkering around, Otacon discovered quite to his dismay that the ship was equipped with a self destruct function. They obviously were dead serious about not sharing their technology with the clergy. Since the two groups handled machinery in a different manner the Al-Bhed were somewhat more effective at utilizing the technology innovatively and getting the most out of the potential power a weapon could have. The clergy generally just got lucky and put stuff together from a simple spreadsheet.

The thirty Tengu's who surrendered were acquitted of their ignorance and thoroughly examined in a medical bay. Their armor was removed and they were all forced to wear shorts, sandals with socks, and a hideous yellow T-Shirt so nobody could be stupid enough to confuse them with anyone else. Otacon examined their blood for the presence of nanomachines and actually found some, which was shocking. This explained how quickly they were able to be proficient with their armor and weapons. Snake wasn't sure how they were all injected with them, but he assumed that Solidus' DNA might have played a part in their synthesis. Thankfully the nanomachines were first generation so they weren't quite as fancy as the current strain being readied for the military. This strain only upped their combat proficiency and seemed to have been engineered specifically for that purpose. Otacon made absolutely certain they couldn't be tracked and decided to spare them the agony that would result from draining their blood. As they were now, they could still prove useful in a fight.

They were then ushered into an empty supply room and told to remain seated at all times unless under the escort of an Al-Bhed or any of Yuna's Guardians. Turrets were set up all around the room to encourage their good behavior. They were fed generously and instructed to take a few tablets to account for their blood loss. Cid planned to put them to work a little later, but for now they were allowed to rest. The Tengu's who didn't surrender were hunted down by Kimahri, who said he could smell their fear. Nobody argued with him. Kimahri offered those he captured one brief chance at redemption as he held them over the side of the airship by one foot. Anyone who promised to surrender and submit but didn't seem passionate enough about it were dropped. Unfortunately, he did this in front of everyone he captured so eventually it became hard to assume how honest his captives were being with him. Auron retreated into Snake's room with a map of Bevelle he had found in the ship's library and went over it with the other man. Much of Auron's personal memories of the city also came into play. He knew the layout rather well and the two were able to devise a stable plan. The screams coming from above as the loyal Tengu's plummeted to their deaths only served as a minor annoyance.

The whole ship was as active as it had been earlier by the time night had fallen. Already there were steady improvements in several areas that made the entire place a lot more comfortable and homely. Several sections had been equipped properly for defense with turrets and canons, but none of them were quite on par with the power Snake had seen earlier. Those weapons would take some time to properly develop. They were already built into the ship so they could be used even before they were tweaked to perfection. Mechanics continued to tinker with the guns deemed combat ready. If the clergy came around with their airships, they would be more than ready for them. Snake thought Cid was being a little too confident.

It really bothered Rikku that the clergy had discovered an airship before them. She explained to a few of her team mates that they had originally stumbled upon the vehicle at around the same time Tidus came around. In fact, he had helped salvage it before being separated from the Al-Bhed. It was easy to convince her not to worry about it too much. The airship they had was superior. Tidus got into one of his moods again and hung out around the roof when Kimahri had finished his business up there. The part of Auron's story in which he watched over him was beginning to bother Tidus. While Auron had been kind enough to answer one of his questions, Tidus felt that there was more to the story than what Auron was letting on. Or perhaps he was just thinking too much again. Either way, there had to be some deeper aspect to how he was able to seemingly travel forward a thousand years in time aside from the power within Sin. Tidus remained on the roof until he was fetched by Wakka and lead down to a fully staffed cockpit.

Snake was hooking up a map to a blackboard someone had wheeled in for him while everyone else spoke with ease while they were still able to do so. Cid had caught wind that his daughter had a prospective man and was trying to decide whether Otacon was worth her company or not. His love of machinery and invention scored him instant points with Cid, but none with Rikku's brother who was insanely jealous that he could no longer get attention from his baby sister. When Snake had finished, he allowed his companions fifth-teen more minutes to live up their brief reprieve while they could. After having a smoke and coming back into the room with a thermos full of that fruity drink he'd come to love Snake brought everyone back to the real world. A translator stood at the ready of the intercom system to share the game plan with everyone but the Tengu's, who were cut off from the broadcast.

"Alright, kids." Snake announced. "First of all, I've been told this ship is ready for hell so everyone who helped can pat themselves on the back."

His expression was taken literally.

"Secondly, I'd like to thank Kimahri for ridding us of our enemies and to also extend my fond appreciation to the bar we've got on board. Now let's cut to the chase. It's time to save Yuna from Seymour hopefully for the last time. Before I even begin, I'd like to note that Yuna probably has a tracker somewhere on her body. That's the only way Seymour could have found Home without an informant. It was probably planted sometime during that dinner we had over at his place. When we save her, we're going to need to get her naked. Lulu, that will be your job. Have you seen Yuna naked before?"

"Yes." Lulu said, rolling her eyes.

"Then you know where to look?" Raiden asked with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lulu countered.

"Moving right along, let's go over the plan."

"Does it have a name?" Raiden asked.

"No. Does that matter?"

"Well, every operation has a name. Even the tiniest military excursions go by some code name."

Snake thought it over for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Very well. We shall call it 'Sneaking Mission : The Third Rescue' because it's a sneaking mission and this is the third time we've had to rescue Yuna. Happy now?"


	25. Chapter 24 : The Third Rescue

**Chapter 24 : Sneaking Mission - The Third Rescue.**

Seymour was busy trying to make the blue veins in his face less prominent with a highly diverse selection of makeup and skin creams when he was interrupted by the commotion coming from outside of his personal chambers. As the ruckus drew near and the sound of bones being broken increased, Seymour looked to his personal selection of private guards who didn't even bother to nod in acknowledgment. These elites had been completely brainwashed after having undergone a vicious curse that bound them to him closer than Tromell was comfortable with. They were outfitted with the equipment and armor Solidus had an orgasm over. Two black mages and one white mage were also hidden in the shadows. Hiding the white mage in her glorious white robes was quite difficult so Seymour had her stand next to a coat rack so she looked like a cape. They remained motionless and weren't bothered by the threat of impending combat as all of them had been trained to only interfere when their assistance was deemed absolutely necessary by Seymour.

He had enough time to hastily put on some eyeliner and bit of foundation before Solidus ripped the double doors leading into his room off their hinges without using his tentacle arms or artificial muscles. Seymour stood to meet him and made no effort to hide his cosmetics. He was the type of gentlemen who could proudly display such items. Solidus was so mad that parts of his face had begun to turn deep red. He was unarmed, but still a threat in his current state of aggravation. All he needed was some wordplay to calm him down a bit.

"What the hell was that?" Solidus demanded.

"I'm sorry?"

Solidus launched one of his tentacle arms at Seymour's beauty desk. He smashed the mirror and scattered all his carefully arranged cosmetics to the floor.

"Why did you kill mymen so needlessly?" Solidus shouted at the top of his lungs. "They died like dogs! Like dogs! I don't use people like that!"

"Then you will be pleased to know that it was me who gave the order to bomb the establishment after we retrieved those miniature nukes from Home."

"I figured as much! You're acting like _them_!" Solidus accused.

"Who? Your Patriots?"

Solidus' tentacle arm snaked its way into Seymour's bathroom. He tore his toilet from its hinges, filled it full of shampoo and placed it inside the shower. Seymour would be sure to hunt down the person who had broken the news to him and hurt them.

"Who else?"

"Solidus, if I recall correctly it is your world that you're so worried about. I think you should be more concerned with where you came from and less bothered by the politics I operate by. Even if the mission had gone any better, which I now know for certain that it could not have given the sabotage of our third ship, the Al-Bhed wouldn't have let us have their other technology so easily. I also blew the place up to try and stop Yuna's Guardians from escaping because they were sighted there. I don't know if you've heard this yet, but I'm under the impression that they have been giving us a lot of problems lately."

The sound of running water confirmed that Solidus had opened all the faucets in the bathroom. Seymour sighed and rolled his eyes in disapproval. Solidus retracted his tentacle arm back into his suit since destroying Seymour's room wasn't quite as alleviating as he thought it would be.

"I'm sorry. Would you like a hug?"

"Do not patronize me! I thought I was in charge of that unit. Wasn't that part of our agreement? Never ever supersede my authority like that again! Do you have any idea what this will do to the morale? They won't trust me!"

"Calm down. The units do not know the whole truth about what happened at Home. They are content with what they have been told. I suggest you do not upset that balance." Seymour said. "Besides, we saved as many of them as we could. If we had not fled when we did there is no doubt in my mind that we would be short a ship and two Metal Gear's. Think of those who did not make it as weaker soldiers. If you want more men right this instant, I could always alleviate the difficulty to becoming a Crusader."

"Forget it! That's not the point. If you ever do something behind my back like that again. . ."

"Then you won't be going home." Seymour said icily.

"I don't care! I'll not have you treating soldiers like that under my watch! I told you what I stand for! I'm not your stereotypical terrorist! My ideas aren't clouded by a religious ideology or personal gain and I care about my men."

Seymour raised an eyebrow at him.

"And women." Solidus quickly added. "There are ten of them. I think. Maybe less."

"Can we be hypothetical for just a moment?"

"Sure."

"You're saying that you're going to kill me if I make a decision like that again, right?"

"That's how I read the sub context of what I said! What, do you think I'm going to buy you flowers for being such an asshole?"

"Solidus, how do you feel about death?"

"Are we still being hypothetical or are you threatening me now?"

"We're still being hypothetical. Look, I think we can both agree that death is a release. It is truly a great thing to die. You no longer have to worry or continue working in a lowly position due to factors beyond your control. In death, the fear and suffering the people of Spira experience through Sin is no longer an issue. Is that not grand?"

Solidus gave him a look of shock. Seymour didn't expect he'd understand.

"What's wrong with you? Death is wasted potential when done so prematurely. In death there is no meaning. People should strive to make their lives as meaningful as possible while they are still alive. There's no sense in embracing death as anything but an end. A dead end, if you'll pardon the pun. Why wait to die when you can live?"

"Tell that to those who can never get ahead." Seymour said. "What would you say to them? Should they join the army and make something of themselves?"

Solidus didn't have an answer to that question and found himself looking very stupid. Being strictly a military man his sense of accomplishment was partially influenced by his rank and sense of pride.

"Be happy, Solidus. I have already arranged for your personal departure from this planet. After the wedding, our mage division should be ready. I can't promise that you'll be able to take a Metal Gear with you, but with your own little army you might just be unstoppable, especially since some of the soldiers will be able to use magic. Think of how many public libraries you'll be able to tear up with them in search of records pertaining to your Patriots. They might even be a match for your brother."

"Don't be too sure about that. You could send a whole army after Solid Snake and they still couldn't kill him."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. In any case, please remember that Yuna and I must be present when you finally leave us."

Seymour made no effort to hide how he was buttering up Solidus and he did it in such a way that didn't infuriate the other man. He had managed to steer the conversation into real business, which neither of them could argue about and accomplished more than bickering over something that had already been done. The mages Seymour spoke of were a new breed of soldiers that would use magic in combat. As the type of magic they were trained to use came from the soul as opposed to other external forces they would not lose any of their power. Some were trained to summon and Solidus had expressed interest in what they could conjure forth on Earth. The soldiers received additional training in magic to counter Lulu and Yuna who quickly snubbed any advantage the Tengu's would have in combat because when they weren't getting mowed down by bullets and cut in half with swords there bullets were being blocked or they were dead before they could pull their triggers.

"Don't you wish to consummate your marriage before we go?" Solidus asked haughtily.

"I'm sure it would be more fulfilling if she didn't despise me." Seymour replied. "I think less of it than I do of Sin. Besides, I'm no stranger to women if that's what you're getting at."

"And what of Sin?" Solidus asked. "I don't believe that's ever been a part of our conversation."

"To begin with, how much have you learned about Sin?"

"Everything. I'm not so sure you're fit to be in the drivers seat."

"But I will kill it." Seymour said. "And after I have killed it, I will find my release. It will be more pure than a mere sending. When I come back in ten years as Sin the technology for the Metal Gear's will have advanced enough that they will be able to destroy Sin completely."

"There goes your religion."

"I've planned ahead for that. It is none of your concern. I will be able to die and you will be hailed as a hero for contributing to the machine that killed Sin."

For a moment, the two men remained silent. It wasn't absolutely necessary that Solidus believe the lie Seymour had told him, but it would be inconvenient if he couldn't trick the other man. Much fortune had been bestowed upon him and that wouldn't ruin any of his plans. Seymour had gained great respect from the clergy and the people by bolstering their natural defenses. The fanatics loved him for hurting the Al-Bhed. He wasn't doing badly for someone who had been marked to fail. Their favor helped him get into a position where he could easily achieve his singular lifetime goal, which was to relieve Spira of its pain by destroying it. Seymour had come to have a morbid obsession with death. He saw no other hope for Spira. Even if Sin were to be miraculously exterminated that would not change a thing to him. With that monster out of the way, Spira would inevitably battle with a new crisis. There were more problems in Spira than most people thought because Sin effectively overshadowed them all.

Seymour suspected that Yuna might know of his plan or was at least aware of his morbid inclinations. If she did not consent to him then he would have to change his strategy and do some rather unpleasant things to her. He truly hoped she would be compliant. Those were complications he preferred not to think of. Solidus' mood seemed to have evened out. Seymour predicted that Solidus would now warn him to remain loyal with a subtle unspecific consequence thrown in as a threat.

"I see." Solidus said at last. "Whatever you do, you had better not double cross me!"

"Then I suppose you'll just have to be a little nicer to me from this point forth." Seymour said while gesturing at the destruction Solidus had wrought upon his room.

To Seymour, Solidus was an incredibly irritating individual who looked older than he really was. Denying Solidus of his ride back to Earth and killing him the moment he became Sin was an idea that positively elated him. The Patriots seemed like a necessary evil and eliminating them might cause more problems than Solidus could handle. Total chaos seemed like the inevitable precursor to the end of every society. However, if Solidus were to take them out from the inside rather than bombing the hell out of everything then perhaps he would have an easier time accomplishing his objective. Seymour knew for certain that Solidus was not capable of such logic. He knew that Solidus thought even less of him.

Solidus rarely spoke to Seymour if he could avoid it and Seymour had made no effort to reach out to the other man so he had to always start their conversations. Then again a man like Solidus was pressed to find friends. His personality only allowed him to truly respect those who were even more arrogant than he was. Since the two of them were on the same level they butted heads frequently.

"How could I possibly make this up to you?" Solidus asked sarcastically.

"Yuna's Guardians will undoubtedly try to save her. Oh, how I wish they were nothing but a bunch of bumbling fools who could barely survive one Fiend attack. There are some Guardians who are that incompetent, you know. Don't use the mage unit unless you have to. They're not completely ready yet. Make sure none of your guards sleep tonight. Be ready for anything."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Solidus declared. "What about Yuna? How's she doing?"

"I haven't checked on her all day." Seymour said regretfully. "I think I'll go do that now. Could you please get someone to clean up this mess?"

"I have the perfect sap for that job." Solidus said as he reached for his radio. "Johnny, if you aren't down here in five minutes I'm going to kick your nuts so hard that. . .well, I don't know what's going to happen and if I were you I wouldn't want to find out!"

"I'm kind of busy right now." Johnny said over the radio.

"Did you take that medicine I gave you?"

"Yes, but it's not working. In fact, I think it's getting worse."

Solidus sighed in frustration.

"Can he go see Yuna?" Solidus asked Seymour.

"After I've finished checking in on her and this mess is cleaned up."

"There, you hear that Johnny? You're going to have your intestinal problem examined by a professional medic, but you had better get your ass down to Seymour's summer home pronto!"

Johnny grunted in pain as a response. Solidus turned off his radio and stormed out of the room.

"Send Yuna my regards." he said. "I'll let those goons at the front door know they should be expecting a maid within the hour."

With Solidus gone, Seymour prettied his face up for five more minutes before heading toward where he was keeping Yuna. She was originally thrown in the Bevelle prison along with the rest of the accused criminals and enemies to the priesthood before Seymour intervened and had her shipped to his summer home. While spending time in the dungeon she had befriended a man by the name of Cloud who had sabotaged one of the clergy's airships while it was en route to Home. He was under the constant care of several black mages who kept casting sleep spells on him whenever he woke up. Yuna would not leave unless Seymour promised to treat him better. This might have allowed him a better chance at escaping since he was quite crafty, but Seymour wanted Yuna happy so he told the mages to hold off and focus their efforts on keeping their fireballs charged in case Cloud tried something funny. Yuna was allowed to see him once a day at any time she chose.

For now she was stuck inside Seymour's basement under the supervision of several guards. Six black mages were stationed outside the door to the stairs. These individuals were of the highest order in the sect, which meant they were allowed to wear the robes associated with that position. Yuna would have to get past them if she wanted to escape. He allowed her plenty of privacy and had only stationed two additional black mages in the room with her to watch over her so she would feel less inclined to stage an escape. The two mages had also cast a barrier spell over the area that made it impossible for her to summon her Aeons. Seymour knocked briefly on the elaborately decorated door and invited himself in. Yuna's accommodations were positively delightful. The entire place had been decorated with furniture and gadgets that the scavengers had salvaged from the Bikanel desert when they thought the Al-Bhed weren't looking.

It resembled an upscale apartment that would cost at least eight hundred dollars a month minus the utilities. Those who spent time down here criticized Seymour for decorating such a fine room with ugly machina junk that didn't work when in fact it did. It came complete with a stove, washing machine, refrigerator, bathtub, separate shower, king sized bed, and a living room filled with couches for lounging about and having a good time. Seymour had ordered his personal chef's to prepare another lavish banquet for his fiancé and they obliged heartily. The kitchen table was filled with food, but not much else. Yuna was sitting on one of the three leather couches in the living room that had been situated to provide optimal viewing of the tastefully arranged novelty lamps. She didn't even acknowledge that he had come in the room and pretended to be fixated on the traffic light in front of her. The two black mages sat to her right. They were real downers on the overall hip vibe of the basement. Seymour strode into the kitchen and ate a few pieces of Solidus' sushi because there would be hell to pay if Solidus suspected that she didn't like sushi as much as he did.

"You haven't even touched any of this." Seymour said with his mouth full.

After snacking on a few more pieces he went back into the living room and sat down in the couch to her left. He couldn't help but smirk as he realized how futile trying to talk to her would be.

"Are you upset?"

"Of course not." Yuna replied sarcastically.

"You really should be thanking me." Seymour said arrogantly.

"Why? What exactly do you want from me?" Yuna demanded.

"Nothing more than to take the burden of the Final Aeon off of your shoulders by volunteering myself for the task. Does that not make things easier? Who would you have chosen without me?"

He had posed a good question. There weren't any among Yuna's group that were completely willing to give up their lives for the cause except for maybe Kimahri. His life had never held any other purpose aside from protecting her. Everyone else had places to return to after the deed was completed. Since Kimahri was an exile he would find himself alone. He was in a better position than anyone else to end his life alongside her. Yuna saw this as partially irrelevant given the subtext of their conversation and sought to turn the argument in her favor.

"That has nothing to do with the point. What do you intend to do as Sin? I can answer that question for you. In the many years that this horrid ritual has been a part of life there has never been a Sin yet that has destroyed as much as it could have. Whoever is the Final Aeon awakens as Sin with the same mentality he or she began with. It is only gradually that they begin to lose control of who they are as they are absorbed into Sin. That's why the clergy's response has always been swift. They deal with the problem before it gets out of hand. But what if someone like you were to become Sin? A murderer? Do you intend to use Sin as a tool for revenge against the people who have despised you because of your race?"

"You're so delightfully creative." Seymour mused. "Do you really think I killed my father without a reason?"

"How could you possibly justify it?"

"He abandoned me and my mother after his plan to unite the Guado and the humans through marriage fell flat on its face. We were shipped away to Baaj Temple and forgotten as my father tried to repair the damage he had done to his political career. While there I was trained to become a summoner and I embarked on a journey to destroy Sin with my mother about twenty years ago. At the time she had a mysterious ailment that could not be cured so she saw it fit to be my Final Aeon. You see, she wanted her son to be recognized for his bravery and accepted because of it. When I lost her to Yunalesca's magic I was unable to continue. I was so weak. It took me a month to recover my constitution. In that time I came to embrace the idea of death, but I was too late. Sin was defeated by a summoner more capable than myself."

Yuna had never heard of any of this and it didn't seem like Seymour was lying. Obviously he had managed to cover up his past quite efficiently.

"I had failed and there was nowhere else I could go. Picture my melancholy as they forced me all the way back to Baaj as an embarrassment. An abomination. A failure. It was not until my eighteenth birthday that my father finally sent for my retrieval. That was ten years later. I do believe your father had just committed himself to the pilgrimage at around the same time I returned to Guadosalam. Why was I suddenly welcomed back with open arms? Because the tensions between the Guado and the Humans had loosened through no effort of my father who I eventually killed so that I could inherit his position. Now look at me. I have exceeded him and I will marry a human woman to solidify how compatible our two races are. In doing so I will destroy his memory."

Seymour's motives were a combination of soiling his father's memory and killing as many people as he possibly could for what he believed was a noble purpose befitting of acceptance. They were rather uninspired and definitely stemmed from the trauma he had endured as a child. For that Yuna could not fault him, but he wasn't coping with his pain in the most efficient way that he could. He had probably reached a point where he wouldn't change his mind and was unstable enough to toast anyone who tried to use even the most remote persuasive psychological on him. These stories were appealing to her womanly weaknesses and beginning to make her feel sorry for him. After all, aside from being a lunatic he did have some good still left in him. If she had allowed that to continue she might have wound up marrying him on that alone and trying to change him. Luckily, Yuna wasn't quite that stupid even if she couldn't help but sympathize with him.

There was still one part of his plot that didn't add up and Yuna sought to clarify it.

"Why are you trying to make Spira a better place when you plan on leveling it in ten years?" Yuna asked.

"Poetic irony." Seymour responded indifferently. "Besides, I couldn't have gotten so popular without doing what the people wanted. Eviscerating the Al-Bhed, solving the water problem, offering rewards for killing bothersome Fiends, promoting equality among nobles and peasants. . .I'm sure you're familiar with all of my policies. I've selected a retainer to carry on my work while I'm away. Spira will be a great place until I return."

"I refuse to be a part of this." Yuna said strongly. "Seymour, I know you've been through a lot, but you can't just blow up the world because of the childhood you had."

"Forgive me for not being clear, but I don't think you fully understand. I'm doing this to relieve Spira of its horrid cycle of death. The process will actually be rather painless. I'm not a monster. Not yet at any rate."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm dead." Seymour declared cheerfully. "At first I thought I should be grateful for that, but lately I've been experiencing inexplicable urges in the back of my mind that I keep at bay with my magic."

"You're turning into a Fiend." Yuna said.

"Precisely. Now whose fault do you think that is?" Seymour asked sarcastically.

If not for the presence of the two imposing practitioners of the black arts, Yuna would shoot him dead and then perform the fastest sending in summoner history. She still had Snake's USP securely fastened to her inner hip. There were five additional fully loaded clips in her bag of holding, which was laying innocently on an empty wardrobe in the master bedroom. As she never presented herself to be much of a threat aside from her powerful summoning abilities nobody had thought to search her. Yuna couldn't risk taking advantage of their ignorance quite yet. Seymour stood up and walked over to the door leading upstairs and stopped short of opening it.

"Do not force me to do anything that will be unpleasant for either of us, Yuna. If your Guardians show up to rescue you I will offer them a chance to surrender. If they do they will not be killed so long as you do what you're told. Consider it a wedding gift."

Before he could leave there was a loud, abrupt knock at the door that sounded like someone was trying to force their way in. Seymour tore the door open and came face to face with a Tengu soldier carrying a large cardboard box in both of his hands. He was struggling to keep himself steady in the tiny corridor and breathing heavily underneath his mask. The box was so big that he barely could carry it by himself at all. His arms were noticeably stretched beyond their normal limitations.

"Candygram for Lady Yuna!" he exclaimed heartily.

"A candygram is a delivery of candy, you idiot." Seymour said.

"I know, but that's what I was instructed to refer to it as! Can we not argue? I need to put this in the room now or I'm going to topple over myself!"

The soldier forced his way in and put the heavy box down as quickly as he could. He then leaned over it and sighed in relief. Upon discovering that the correct side wasn't facing up he rolled it until the arrow was no longer disagreeing with the position of the box. When he stood back up Seymour seized his shoulder, which sent a paralyzing burst of energy coursing throughout his body. While he stood frozen in fear Seymour stood in front of him and examined him carefully. Not being one to be stupid he tore the mask off of his face and recognized the timid soldier underneath. It was Johnny Sasaki. His name was synonymous with suspicious behavior and he usually didn't get along well with the other soldiers. At least it wasn't one of Snake's partners. Seymour opened the box to be sure of its contents and sorted through a multitude of gifts from the people. There were several exotic perfumes, a couple of hand knitted blankets, a painting of a horse being attacked by a beaver and other assorted junk that didn't seem like good ideas for wedding presents. Seymour waved his hand in front of Johnny's face to relieve him of the spell.

"Also sir, Tromell has orchestrated a bachelor party." Johnny said.

"At whose house?" Seymour asked as his blood pressure began to rise.

"Yours, sir." Johnny said, feeling very much like a messenger about to be killed by his king. "Surprised?"

"Hardly. Go help handle the guests while I prepare myself."

"But I haven't finished cleaning up the mess in your room!"

"I'll do it." Seymour insisted angrily. "Are Quistis and Logan here?"

"Weren't those the two who made fun of me while I fixed your plumbing?"

"Since your next response will be a yes let's cut to the chase. Make sure that they are given plenty of liquor. If they pass out within the hour I'll make it worth your while."

"Affirmative. Is there anyone else you want me to take care of?"

"Tromell. Tell him you're in charge of this party."

Johnny nodded and put his mask back on as he climbed the steps and made his way towards the living room. It seemed humiliating to give a career soldier such odd jobs, but Johnny was truly a jack of all trades and capable of doing anything with a fair degree of proficiency. It was then that Seymour remembered his promise to the man.

"Yuna, go get Johnny and have a look at his intestinal problem. I will not have this party turn into a disaster. If he has one of those diarrhea attacks again there's nothing to stop Tromell from being an idiot. The man couldn't host a funeral! You're free to do as you please after that. By the way, it would spoil your image if you revealed anything we've discussed to any of the guests."

"Can I at least go over the presents I was given in private?" Yuna asked.

"That's fine, but do be quick about it. I dislike keeping up appearances more than you do."

Seymour looked to his mages.

"Help her carry the box into her room and let her be." Seymour ordered.

The two nodded and used their magic to levitate the box into her room. Seymour rolled his eyes. They could have at least tried to physically carry it as they could really use the exercise. Underneath all those robes they were pasty, skinny, and covered in scars. Yuna entered her bedroom after Seymour left. The black mages didn't follow her around this time like they usually did. Neither of them bothered to move away from the couch. She locked the door behind herself even though it wouldn't do any good if they really wanted to get in. Yuna was overtaken with awe at the amount of gifts the people of Spira had sent to her. Some were even from Mount Gagazet, which was where she should have been. Yuna arranged everything in her room and pocketed some of the smaller items. There was even a beautiful new robe awaiting her approval.

When she reached the bottom of the box she became momentarily perplexed because it had been raised significantly. Judging by the side it should have been much deeper. It was then that the box began to rustle slightly as something moved inside of it.

"Could it be a dog?" Yuna thought aloud.

The fake bottom ejected from the box. Snake popped out over the side with his M4 ready to fire. He examined the room from his cardboard concealment to ensure that they were both alone. Yuna was so shocked that all she could do was blubber incoherently. Too many thoughts were bombarding her at once. Snake was no longer wearing his hip authentic camouflage and instead had reverted back to his basic sneaking suit. He wore enough equipment to take on a small platoon all by himself under favorable conditions. The situation became even more interesting when a black mage dressed in blue suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Yuna gritted her teeth together and pointed fiercely at the new arrival who responded by taking off their hat. Lulu was underneath the conspicuous top.

"All clear." Snake said.

"How did you get here?" Yuna asked immediately.

"Wasn't easy." Lulu said with a heavy sigh. "I'm going to need you to follow me into the bathroom."

"Why?"

"Because there might be a tracker on you. We think that's how they found you." Lulu said.

Snake lowered the thermal goggles around his head and waited while the two women had some naked time in the bathroom together. Since now was as good a time as any he decided to check in with the others over his nanomachines. He opened all the frequencies so that everyone could talk to him at once.

"We've secured Yuna. Report." Snake ordered.

"C4 in place. All the traps are primed. Nobody spotted us, but there are guards everywhere." Otacon said. "Rikku says hi."

"I'm keeping this mage costume." Raiden said. "Cloud Strife has been sprung."

"Thanks, Jacky boy, I'll take it from here. Remind me to thank Lulu in person a little later. The clergy originally planned to attack Home with six Metal Gears. Four were being carried in one airship, which I blew to pieces with a ton of C4 I had to go and grab before I embarked on my mission. If you can get close enough to put ten pounds of C4 on one Metal Gear, then it's dead. But you probably already knew that given your encounter with the TX-55 unit."

"Ten pounds? Are you trying to kill God?" Snake exclaimed. "How big was the explosion?"

"I thought you'd be interested so I filmed it. I'll show it to you later. I know you'll like it. Anyway, I was caught before I could find a place to hide on the second ship. From what I hear they have ten more Metal Gear's." Cloud said. "I have no idea where they're keeping their little nukes. My guess is underground, but I wouldn't even know where to look."

"What about the nukes I gave you?"

"I hid them just in case they might come in handy later on." Cloud explained. "They're safe for the time being. I think I might give them back to the Predators in exchange for them to stop chasing me around."

"And our airship?"

"The regular weapons are at full capacity, but our high powered laser beam is still iffy at this point. We can use it, but I wouldn't recommend it." Cid said. "Is Yuna okay?"

"She's fine." Snake assured him. "Since the operation is going like I expected at this point, proceed to phase B."

Lulu came out with her hat back on, keeping her face hidden just in case something bad were to happen at the last minute. Yuna followed her out confidently, obviously not ashamed that she had been poked and prodded by the other woman. Snake lowered his rifle and crawled out of the box so he wouldn't look stupid while he spoke to her.

"The tracker is on the back of her neck. I had to use magic to find it since it's enchanted."

"What's going on?" Yuna asked patiently. "Are you getting me out of here?"

"We're not here to save you yet." Snake began. "That's tomorrow. We're going to get rid of Seymour and Solidus in one shot if we can help it. All you have to do is stay calm and perform the sending when Seymour dies."

"A summoner's staff has been hidden near the altar. It is invisible so you will need to sense it. Grab it after the explosions start. You may be blinded as the traps go off, but don't worry about anything aside from performing the sending. Call forth an Aeon when you are finished and then look for Tidus. If all else fails, improvise." Lulu explained. "You're a smart girl. You don't need us to tell you exactly what to do."

"So grab the staff, do the sending, call an Aeon, and look for Tidus." Yuna repeated.

"Basically." Snake said. "That's the plan. Leave the technicalities to us, but be prepared to improvise."

"The festivities will begin right before you are pronounced man and wife. You won't have to kiss Seymour." Lulu said.

"I understand, but there's something about Seymour you should know beforehand." Yuna said.

She explained to them why Seymour was such a bastard. They weren't moved by his sad story.

"I'd trade with him in a second." Snake said. "You think that's bad? I've got stories that will make you want to kill yourself."

"I know we've got to get rid of him." Yuna affirmed. "But I thought it would be better if we all knew where he was coming from."

Yuna bowed graciously in front of her two rescuers.

"Thank you so much for coming to save me." Yuna said.

"It's nothing." Lulu assured her.

"Always a pleasure." Snake pitched in. "We'll see you tomorrow morning."

"For now, you'll need to lead us upstairs." Lulu instructed. "I will provide cover for myself and Snake."

Yuna nodded affirmatively. Lulu cast an invincibility spell on herself and then placed one on Snake since they would be traveling together for this phase of the operation. She also put a masking barrier up that made it hard for other mages to detect their presence. While Lulu wasn't arrogant enough to deny that the magicians who served under Seymour were talented they still couldn't match her abilities. Yuna walked out of her bedroom and watched her two malevolent guards carefully as she exited the room. They both stood up and began following her at a distance. She couldn't hear the two companions she was secretly helping and she swallowed hard to squelch the onset of her panic. Since the mages made no effort to attack and didn't bother breaking away from her Yuna figured that they were completely fooled.

A mass of guests had poured into the living room and immediately greeted her with a few jovial whoops and hollers. They were all nobles or held some position that made them better than the common people. Even so, there were still some influential members of the lower class hanging out in the shadows and making crude jokes about being affluent. Tromell must have gathered most of them all at once and then lead them to Seymour's. Booze was being filtered out of the kitchen quite efficiently and Johnny was nowhere to be seen. Tromell had already hooked a small group into listening to him lecture about something. Snake and Lulu couldn't make it through the front door as it was currently staffed by two guards who weren't part of the festivities quite yet since nobody had given them anything to drink so they made their way out of an open window and headed to a designated spot where they would regroup with the others. Yuna was under the impression that they still had a lot to do before the night was over.

She went back to her room so she could fetch her bag and prepare a special potion for Johnny so the party wouldn't be a total disaster. Once the mixture was properly prepared and flavored she located the bathroom where all the screaming was coming from. The door hadn't been locked because the three seconds Johnny could have spent on that needed to be applied elsewhere since he was having quite a personal emergency.

"Johnny?" Yuna called.

"Pain!" Johnny replied.

"I think this might help." she said.

Yuna opened the door slightly and rolled the potion in.

"Not another one of these things! Why don't we throw some chicken bones across my belly while we're at it?"

"Yuna!" Solidus called.

She turned to address him and saw that he was already stumbling. He was holding a full beer in one of his hands and having trouble standing up by himself. In fact, he couldn't even manage to lumber over to her successfully. Instead he leaned up against the wall and motioned for her to come closer. When she did, Solidus took another drink and seized her by the arm and brought her ear right up to his mouth at an angle that hurt her neck. Her fragile cheeks rubbed up against his beard that had the exact same consistency as a sink scour and smelled strongly of wet bread and seasoned meat. His beer was overflowing with head because Solidus inadvertently sucked the top out of habit when he drank from bottles.

"You're not really going to marry that bastard, are you?" he muttered.

"How many drinks have you had?"

"One!" Solidus proclaimed proudly. "Take that, alcoholics! Especially my brother, Solid Snake! While it may only take me one drink to reach a level of euphoria, it takes them around five or six! Now answer my question before I break your neck."

"Am I really going to marry Seymour? It looks like I have to."

Solidus kept his lips in her ear for a moment while he thought over her answer. Yuna sighed and couldn't help but wonder why so many things on her pilgrimage had been derailed by alcohol. There was her initial encounter with Tidus that didn't go so well, Snake's godly liver, and now Seymour's bachelor party. When she thought about it specifically she remembered that alcohol was promoted by the priesthood as a release. Yuna didn't see the point in relying on booze to help her become happy. This was why everyone else usually drank but her.

"Shitty." Solidus said as he pushed her away.

Yuna tried not to eye him curiously and took his interest as flirtatious and concluded he was coming on to her. At least he was a minor improvement over Seymour even if he had tried to kill her. Johnny seemed to be doing a little better since his outcry's had subsided into guttural grunts and prolonged groans. He would be of no help to her. All she had to fall back on in case Solidus got touchy was Seymour, which didn't seem so bad given the alternative. She couldn't let the old man suspect this and stood poised where she was as Solidus put his back to the wall and slid down to the ground.

"I was married once." he began.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Yuna supposed she could have expected something like this to come about. It was quite odd that he had come to her in his stupor. She couldn't really blame him. Yuna knew she had that aura about her that made it easy for other people to confide in her. Hopefully Solidus wasn't the type of person who forgot everything he did while he was drunk. Perhaps if she was nice to him he might take that into consideration a little later.

"God, she was a bitch. She even slept with a member of the Patriots. . .I think. Have I told you about the Patriots?"

"Snake mentioned. . ." Yuna was cut off.

"Mentioned?" Solidus roared. "That's not good enough!"

Twenty minutes later, Yuna had received an alternate view of the organization. The two of them hung out in the unlit hallway near the water closet together as Johnny slowly recovered. Yuna's two black mages watched from afar and didn't seem too affected by the steady stream of margarita's they were being fed by Seymour's servants. She sat down a comfortable distance away from Solidus, just far enough to let him know she was listening but didn't want to be groped. Solidus' side of the story was quite compelling, but he also wanted to bring destruction to achieve his goals. Surely there had to be a way to slowly take them out from the inside and seize control over the group without so many unnecessary casualties. That was how Snake believed they should be taken care of. The two men essentially saw the Patriots in the same light, but obviously couldn't find enough common ground to work together.

Johnny eventually came lumbering out of the bathroom and quickly rushed into the living room to take control of the party again. He was in such a hurry he didn't stop to thank Yuna or check the back of his pants for the piece of toilet paper still sticking out of his clothes. Solidus used a tentacle arm to snatch it for him and then tossed it into the nearest waste receptacle he could see from where he sat. He then went on to tell Yuna a total of ten separate stories, but he told them in such a way that he accidentally went into one and then had to back up into the other to finish it only to launch into a completely different story instead. Solidus was a man slighted by those who were more powerful than him. All he wanted to do was end the dictatorship imposed by the Patriots and put true democracy back in its place with a few changes, namely his self appointed position as president for life. Elections could start up again after he died. Or something. Apparently Solidus would have made enough changes by then that the next president couldn't possibly mess up his decisions in the next four years.

A servant brought him an entire bottle of banana rum from Besaid that he drank straight.

"Anyway, that's why everyone hates me so damn much." Solidus mumbled.

Yuna stood up and knelt down in front of him.

"You can always change."

Solidus' head wavered for a minute and then slumped to one side. Yuna shook him gently only to discover that he had passed out just when they were getting somewhere. She sighed and hoped that she had at least managed to plant the smallest seed of doubt in him that she could. In the end, he would probably die tomorrow and Yuna couldn't decide if it was for the best or not. Seymour had to be stopped, but Solidus was still at a point where he could be redeemed. While using child soldiers was a little extreme he had still united them to fight for a moral cause and given the situation their presence was necessary. Her reaction wasn't quite so extreme as children in Spira had been known to become warriors at an early age. Apparently Solidus' people weren't quite as lenient.

Yuna felt sick about Solidus' impending doom. It was quite a cruel trick of fate that she found herself sympathizing with him more than Seymour.

"Is he bothering you?" came a voice.

Yuna jerked around and came face to face with Seymour, who was completely sober. He looked incredibly irritated. His nerves had been frayed by the party and he was looking to take out his anger on someone. Why the town insisted on staying up until question marks when half of them had to be up at six in the morning to help out with the wedding was beyond his reasoning.

"No." Yuna said. "He just needed someone to talk to."

Seymour knelt down and picked up the bottle Solidus had been drinking from. The whole thing was empty. Not even a drop remained inside.

"Is he feeling guilty?" Solidus said almost mockingly.

"Yes." Yuna said, trying to hide her empathy. "He's in a lot of pain."

"I'm in a lot of pain." Seymour affirmed with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"I know." Yuna said. "We all suffer. You, Solidus, me, my friends. . .everyone. That's what you want to end, right?"

He smiled at her approvingly. Yuna silently thanked the instructor who had taught her diplomacy and charisma.

"It's what I will end." Seymour said. "I have no guilt. I'm not weak like him. You must always be sure of yourself. If you live in the past you wind up like some poor fool who can't talk to anyone at a party except for someone's fiancé next to the water closet. It's even worse when the fiancé is a generally accepting individual who doesn't steer anyone away and tries to diffuse hostile situations through her speech."

Yuna bit her bottom lip. Apparently her ploy hadn't gone quite as well as she had thought it would. Then again, this was Seymour. Not only could he suddenly show up behind the person he wanted to talk to without them being aware of his approach, but he also was highly sensitive to flattery.

"But honestly, that's my kind of woman." Seymour admitted. "It's a shame you weren't my mother. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. If you want to rest, then go right ahead. I'll make sure you're not disturbed. I have to play host for as long as these cretins want to mooch off of me. I'd suggest you not stick around for too long. These really aren't the type of people you would get along with."

"I'll rest. For the sake of his dignity, could you have Solidus moved to a room somewhere?"

"As you wish."

She didn't bother thanking him and headed past her two body guards. A sea of people were clogging up the living room, kitchen, upstairs balcony, and the better half of the lounge. The doors were wide open. Anyone could walk right on in. Seymour's security really had their hands full. Yuna didn't bother to be polite as she made her way through the crowd. Before anyone could stop her so they could chat she was already gone. When she shut the door to the basement behind herself a mass of spectators she had attracted slammed themselves up against it with a dull thump. The mages walked through the barrier mystically and trotted down the steps behind her. They occupied their former posts while Yuna entered her bedroom and changed into some lighter clothing so she could sleep easier.

The walls were thick enough so that she couldn't hear what was going on upstairs, but Yuna still couldn't sleep. The finality of tomorrow both exhilarated and frightened her. If they did away with Seymour, that would solve a few problems and create many more. After being sent, Seymour wouldn't have the power to keep everyone at bay like he had been doing. They would be hunted down as assassins. Yuna could lose her right to complete the pilgrimage and be excommunicated from the church. No matter what happened, she would still defeat Sin. The will to do so was firmly in her heart and her friends would definitely support her. There was also the question of whether Solidus should be given a second chance or not. She really wished Snake would come back and go over the situation with her once again, but Yuna knew he was probably busy planting bombs somewhere.

Her memories of her father and the thought of how defeating Sin would redeem her of the crimes she was about to partake in were the only two things that kept her from losing it.


	26. Chapter 25 : How to Crash a Wedding

**Chapter 25 : How To Crash A Wedding.**

Yuna was almost ready to vomit when they put her in her wedding dress, which Seymour had already picked out for her. It wasn't too ugly and it fit her form and personality rather well so she couldn't complain. At least she would look good during what was about to transpire. Their wedding would take place without a rehearsal since Seymour was in a big hurry for the end of the world. Johnny was considerate enough to go over some of the rudimentary procedures with her while she was being dressed. Apparently she would not have enough time to learn them afterwards as this ceremony was being rushed. The two black mages who had hovered over her ever since she came to Bevelle would continue to supervise her and make sure she couldn't call her Aeons for help. If she were as powerful as Lulu was with offensive magic she could take a chance to debar their hold over her. Since Yuna's primary specialty was in summoning and her secondary discipline was white magic all she could do was hope that they would be standing in a spot where they would be killed immediately.

Seymour had his aides dress her in her room. She had enough time to hide her gun before they came in. Hopefully they would leave her alone long enough to give her a chance to retrieve it as she might need it since it was her only means of defense. For now she focused on what was ahead of her while clumsy fingers tried to make her look more ideal according to Seymour's tastes. Seymour wanted to walk arm and arm with her to the chapel. They would then proceed to the balcony which overlooked the entire city. It was there that the actual wedding would take place. Many of the soldiers under Solidus' command would be there. A new unit specializing in magic would also be on site to accompany the traditional soldiers. Additionally, Seymour's own men and women were on security detail. Only handpicked guests were allowed inside the chapel. The other witnesses to this act of legal monogamy were carrying guns and an arsenal of deadly spells. There were already a few of them inside the chapel sweeping it for potential traps and unwanted spectators. Whatever rescue attempt Snake had in mind could be compromised at any second.

She suspected that they had only been partially finished with whatever plan they were acting upon when they came to tell her the sparse details that they had. For all Yuna knew they might destroy the entire city. These worries caused her to sweat even though it was relatively cool outside. She also trembled at sporadic intervals. Everyone she dealt with ignorantly attributed these nervous jitters to the wedding. Plenty of them joked about her having cold feet. Yuna wished she had enough gall to spit in their faces for being so ferociously annoying. She knew that those who were smart enough saw these signs of distress for what they really were.

After her maids finally got her inside of the dress and had applied an unnecessary layer of makeup to her face they left her alone for a moment so they could all tell Seymour she was ready for the laborious trek. Johnny exited after them, somewhat less enthusiastic about the whole facade. This gave her just enough time to reclaim her USP and fasten it to her hip before the mages came in and beckoned her to follow them. People were running around Seymour's house like mad and trying to clean up the party from the previous evening while at the same time preparing for a new party right after the wedding. A grand feast of mythical proportions was being prepared. Seymour wasn't about to let his reputation for stuffing people until they couldn't move slide when this was a perfect opportunity to reinforce it. Even the general public had been invited to a specially arranged dinner complete with more than enough guards to police all of the participants and food served by waiters with assault rifles.

The public hadn't quite been fully briefed on the situation as Seymour saw it so far. He merely told them that the great degree of security was essential to keep Yuna from getting abducted again. There was also talk about a retaliatory strike from the Al-Bhed or several other unsavory possibilities all of which involved the disruption of this festive occasion. Yuna already knew that Seymour had blown up Home. Cloud had told her while they were in jail together. Such cruelty enacted on a peaceful society full of people who believed differently was unforgivable. Seymour was waiting for her at the door flanked by Solidus and a mixture of the two units they commanded. Solidus looked like hell. He appeared to be especially irritable on this fine morning. The burn scar Lulu had given him two weeks ago had been almost completely healed off of his face. Such heavily damaged tissue would take at least three more specialized sessions with a mage specializing in white magic. The weakness he had shown her last night was gone, but his disgruntlement was as evident as ever. She still hadn't decided if saving him would be a good idea. As she approached Seymour, Solidus' radio beeped loudly. He ripped it off of his side and put it next to his ear.

"What is it?" Solidus demanded.

"Everything is in place." a heavily worn voice announced.

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be talking to Seymour instead? I don't even trust you."

"Relax. You're no longer a threat to me. You never were. Besides, hasn't my arrival changed things for you?"

"Not by much."

"Solidus?" Seymour called. "Would you mind taking such matters outside? I want to put business aside for at least one whole day. Tell our new friend that there is no need for another update."

Solidus gave him another one of his dirty faces. This one seemed to meld in naturally with his complexion, which certainly didn't get that way by him smiling at all hours of the day. He took a good look at Yuna with the same frustrated glare. She inadvertently perked up to receive his approval. As a response, Solidus turned his back on her and stormed outside.

"She'd look better with a bouquet of blue roses, Seymour." Solidus said provokingly as he walked away.

Seymour gave Solidus the look of death. If this kept up they would wind up killing each other at some point, possibly over something trivial.

"Yes, well. . .someone go get lady Yuna a bouquet of blue roses before we start our march." Seymour ordered calmly.

Several servants tripped over themselves to comply with his request. They ran through the crowded streets as if their lives depended on it. A mass of people had gathered outside to watch the two as they walked toward the chapel. Though no barrier was in place, they still aligned themselves correctly and provided Seymour and Yuna with plenty of room. A servant eventually returned with a bouquet of blue roses in under ten minutes. Seymour took them from the man and handed them to Yuna. The roses were fresh and quite a sight to behold. Yuna considered them a gift from Solidus since he had thought of them. She held the bouquet in both of her hands against her chest. A maid came into the entrance with a veil that she helped Yuna put on. Once that was finished it was time for both of them to leave.

"Shall we?" Seymour asked.

The second Yuna set foot outside with Seymour she knew the rescue operation had begun. Her Guardians could be anywhere in the crowd, but Yuna figured they wouldn't show themselves quite yet. If anything, they would strike at the last possible moment available to them. Until then they would have to remain hidden. She still had a long way to go before she would see any of them. Solidus followed in behind their procession alongside Johnny. The morning itself betrayed any sign of impending doom. It was a perfect day to be married. Not too humid, not too cold, and without a cloud in site. Some would consider it auspicious. She heard Solidus' radio beep again, but he ignored it and continued to march forward grimly.

People threw all sorts of junk at them as they went forward. Rice, popcorn, candy corn, flowers, and even salt pelted them as they continued onward. Yuna's veil came in handy and Seymour blinked profusely to avoid having to wipe out whatever got stuck in his eyes. Their spectators were idiotically overjoyed at what should have been a private affair. Why they cared to invest their personal time obsessing over those of higher standing was a perplexing question. Yuna's marriage to a Guado was politically significant, but she didn't think it deserved the level of attention it was getting. The cheers were positively deafening. It seemed like an eternity before they finally reached the chapel. The Tengu's couldn't possibly hope to contain a crowd of this mass so most of them were on the inside where their presence counted for something in case someone tried to sneak in and disrupt the ceremony. Two temple aides opened the doors for them well before they reached the entrance.

Bevelle's chapel contained all of the facilities that the traditional temples had with a few enhancements to accommodate for the many people living in the city. The Cloister of Trials was directly underneath it as opposed to a part of it. Summoners had to pass a mysterious puzzle in order to gain the approval of Bahamut. Apparently it took up a great deal of space and was built over a bottomless pit. Worshiping took place as it normally did elsewhere. Troubled individuals prayed to statues of former summoners in order from the first to last that had defeated Sin and hoped that their pleas would be answered. What made Bevelle special was the statue of Yevon. No other place in Spira was allowed to have one. In order to pray to Yevon himself, worshipers had to flock to Bevelle. This accounted heavily for why prices of certain goods were so inflated in the city.

Yuna had only been here once as a part of her training. The room holding Yevon's likeness was a lonely chamber with a cold cement floor and no seats. Followers were expected to kneel down with their heads on the floor as they addressed Yevon. What had once seemed fair now felt troubling. The chapel overlooked the Macalania forest as it was built at the edge of town. A scenic view of the mountains awaited them at the balcony. They ascended the steps inside the empty chapel and headed for the coveted balcony with the spectacular view. Seats, banners, and other miscellaneous decorations made for quite an elaborate display. The area was covered with guards. Fifth-teen people occupied the twenty seats. Yuna recognized some of the nobles and all of the other Maester's. A fat priest dressed in yellow robes waited for them at the head of the balcony and stood behind a wooden altar that had to have been carried in.

His name was Kinoc and since he was a member of the priesthood he had enough power to formally marry couples. From what Yuna had been told he hung out around a lot with the Maester's and kept looking for handouts. He figured that by subjugating himself to the position of a lackey he might one day be promoted to a higher rank if he humbled the right people. This seemed to be the complete opposite of what he should have been doing, which was going around and killing the people he could succeed. Kinoc obviously didn't want to take any risks and hoped his paper thin charisma would someday rocket him to someone of more importance. They came to a stop in front of the altar. Yuna heightened her senses and was able to pick out Lulu's nearly indistinguishable thread of invincibility. A rather ornate staff was leaning innocently up against the altar, cloaked in a spell so complex that none of the mages stood a chance at ever finding it unless they knew Lulu like Yuna did.

Solidus stood to Seymour's right and crossed his arms impatiently. Johnny stood to Yuna's left. He wouldn't be her first pick as a bride's maid, but he would be invited along as a guest if this were a normal wedding. Johnny was carrying a fancy box containing two rings. Everything was in place and Yuna's nerves were frayed beyond any hope of recovery. She wanted to look around and see if any of the soldiers were behaving oddly or seemed different when compared to the rest of the militia, but she knew that would risk alerting them that something was up.

"Friends, we are gathered here today to oversee the wedding of Yuna and Seymour. It is a blessing directly from Yevon that such a union is taking place today."

Seymour sighed so hard that he almost sucked the altar through his nose. Yuna blinked in rapid succession. This didn't seem like it was going to be over any time soon. Kinoc first launched into a poem about some bird that died while trying to cross an ocean. He tied that into their relationship and how pure it was. Then he said something about how summoners should feel honored to find love before they sacrificed themselves and related it to the life cycle of a tree. Yuna was sure he was just making stuff up at this point because she couldn't possibly entertain the notion that he had written any of it down. Either way, he was not reading from a script and he did put emphasis in his speech that helped convey his message elaborately. By the time he started rambling on about purity Yuna had already spaced out and was busy smelling her roses. Seymour's eyes were still open, but they were glazed over. Johnny kept varying what foot he balanced his weight on so he could keep standing. Solidus scowl steadily deepened until his eyes could barely be seen. Yuna tuned in and out through the course of the speech and snapped to attention when it seemed as though he was finally wrapping it up.

"And so it is with great pleasure that I wed these two today. Ring bearer, please present the rings."

"They said being a soldier would help build my character." Johnny whispered to Yuna.

Johnny stood in between them and opened the box containing the two rings. Yuna reluctantly picked up the golden band studded with exotic diamonds while Seymour chose the silver ring complete with blue sapphires. Their arms crossed symbolically as they did this. Yuna could have pointed out that gold was worth more than silver and how that seemed related to their positions in marriage, but they wouldn't be together long enough for that to bother her. Seymour eagerly grabbed Yuna's hand before Kinoc thought of something else to say. At that moment her adrenaline reached a peak her body couldn't handle and she tensed up as Seymour slid on the ring with ease. In less than a minute the chapel would turn into a war zone. Now that they could face each other formally Seymour looked in her eyes and stared down into her soul. Yuna attempted to fool him again by appearing unwilling and bored.

Seymour broke his posture and began searching the crowd sharply. Her bluff hadn't worked. Snake's plan obviously wasn't quite as original as he had hoped. Even Seymour was on to it. Seymour knelt down beside the altar and clutched the invisible staff. It instantly became visible in a shimmering glow as light began hitting the object again. By the look on his face he appeared to have been expecting this. Yuna grabbed him by the back of the irritating blue robe he always wore that looked like a set of pajamas and hauled him to his feet. She seized Seymour's hands and forced on the ring so hard that it cut his skin. The audience was beginning to stir in confusion. Kinoc didn't know what to do other than proceed with the wedding. Yuna gave Seymour a witty little smile as she sunk her nails into the wrist she had in her grip.

"Then by the power invested in me by the temple. . ." Kinoc began.

Yuna tore off her veil and threw her bouquet of luscious blue roses directly at Solidus. He took a step back in surprise as they came flying at him. Solidus caught them right where his head had been a second ago just in time to watch as the sniper bullet came tearing through them mercilessly. The flowers were ruined. Solidus' mouth began moving but no words came out. Yuna slapped Seymour across the face hard enough to leave a bloody bruise and knock the spit out of his mouth. To add insult to injury she kneed him in the groin. She then turned away from him as the second bullet was fired. It hit Seymour in the side of his skull, killing him instantly for a third time and covering Kinoc and the back of Yuna's dress in the stuff Seymour kept his ideas in. His headless body slumped to the floor. The crowd began panicking as Yuna tackled Solidus and brought him to the floor just as a third bullet was about to take him out.

"What are you doing?" Solidus demanded.

"I'm giving you another chance!" Yuna said. "Stay down and don't interfere!"

Two of the soldiers used their rifles against the other soldiers. This massive betrayal caught everyone by surprise. A familiar older gentlemen wearing a gas mask and a blue sneaking suit came marching up the stairs to the balcony with a grenade launcher in his hands that he began firing off indiscriminately into the crowd. Stun and tear gas grenades exploded in enough places to allow for a hasty capture of the balcony. Snake reloaded and spun around on his heels and began filling up the stairs down into the chapel with grenades. Yuna knelt down in front of Solidus' body and pried the staff from his grip. She then began the sending, which would take at least five minutes to properly complete if she didn't miss a step.

"Everyone stay down!" Raiden said from behind his Tengu helmet.

All of Seymour's guests laid out on the floor with their hands on their heads, whimpering like the silly fools they were. Snake continued spamming the only entrance to the balcony to keep the other mercenaries in the chapel where they were while a second squad consisting of Yuna's other Guardians and the converted Tengu soldiers who now wore a crimson arm band to signify their alliance with the greater good battled with them. Almost immediately the newer mage unit began setting up protective spells on as many soldiers as they could. Some made the mistake of casting a spell a second late and protecting a corpse instead of an ally. These spells deflected all of the bullets fired from their guns so long as they were active. For a moment the soldiers under Solidus and Seymour had the upper hand and confidently advanced on the spies who had somehow managed to slip quietly into their group over the past few days. Surely this was the mark of a true tactical espionage action specialist. They all agreed that none of it would have been possible without Snake. While they hid behind pews, altars, statues, and still within the enemies own ranks, Lulu abruptly appeared from her invincible concealment and sent a wave of fireballs at Solidus' men and women.

The mage soldiers responded by casting nullifying wards on everyone, but not before seven soldiers were baked like Christmas gooses. Lulu cast the same protective wards on her own teammates. This created a small paradox. Both forces were now immune to bullets and the use of offensive magic would be a guessing game. For a moment, the gunfire ceased. Smoke and bits of dust rose up from the ground while the tension in the air built to unprecedented tautness until a great eruption of laughter came from those who were there to rescue Yuna as they pulled out their secondary weapons and charged the soldiers for an all out brawl. Auron and Tidus lead them. The Tengu's, who were carrying katana's and could only hope to properly defend themselves physically against other soldiers, quickly turned around and retreated. This was hilariously futile as they were soon brutalized by the members of the rescue team carrying swords, lances, volleyballs, possessed dolls, and a poisonous arm claw thing. One Tengu tried defending himself with a candlestick only to get it rammed through his eye socket by Kimahri.

"That is the way to use a lance." Kimahri said to the cadaver.

Meanwhile, Yuna was still performing her sending. Her dance was sloppy and rushed. She had little reverence for the recently deceased nitwit so sticking to the basics was good enough for her. Kimahri came charging up the steps to the balcony and jabbed his lance right through Seymour's back to prevent him from moving around whenever he decided to come back. Snake tossed his grenade launcher to Raiden and took out his M4. He then ran over to Solidus, who was pretending to play dead. Snake stood over his brothers' body and almost laughed at how his eyes were closed peacefully while he clutched a battered bouquet. He aimed his gun right at Solidus' forehead and intended to finish what the sniper had started.

"Don't!" Yuna yelled.

"What?" Snake asked.

"Don't kill him!" Yuna said, almost tripping over herself as she continued her little dance.

"Why not?" Snake demanded.

"Because I'm such a nice guy." Solidus said as he stood up.

Solidus handed what was left of the roses to Snake, who accepted them dubiously and tossed them aside. All the guns on the balcony and Kimahri's fists were promptly aimed at Solidus, who surveyed the scene to see how badly they had him cornered. He'd never seen a wedding wrecked quite like this. Johnny was on the floor with both of his hands over his head and his ass raised up in the air. He was the only person Solidus had control over so he exerted his authority to make himself feel better about the whole mess.

"Johnny, for once in your life, will you lay down correctly? If your stomach isn't touching the ground then you're just asking for it!" Solidus said.

"Sorry about that, boss!" Johnny said as he flattened himself against the floor.

Solidus sighed and turned his attention to Snake.

"You know. . ." Solidus began as he looked behind his shoulder. "I think someone might have taken out your sniper."

Auron and Tidus joined the entourage on the balcony.

"We've taken the chapel." Auron said. "They have troops that can use magic now."

"Are they a threat?" Snake asked.

"They reminded me of pumpkins." Tidus replied.

"How's the sending going, Yuna?" Auron asked.

"Not good! He's too strong. I'll need a little more time, but I can send him."

Snake looked over at Seymour's speared body and noticed he was more transparent than he had been before. The pyreflies inside of him were moving around furiously as if they were about to erupt from their invisible bond. His head was starting to reshape itself again and Seymour was breathing shallowly.

"Why can't I ever manage to get rid of you people?" Seymour asked in a distorted tone.

"I can't speak for the fruit loops, but Snake and his friends have always been rather annoying." a familiar voice declared.

Even before Snake turned around to meet the newcomer his blood had gone cold. In the corner tucked out of sight next to a few potted plants a man wearing a stealth camouflage clip decloaked. While everyone was sufficiently distracted, Solidus used one of his retractable tentacle arms to snatch Yuna's staff away from her, which prevented her from successfully sending Seymour. He hurled it over the side of the balcony where it fell to the street below, killing an elderly gentlemen with no family while he was on his way to the market. Yuna was so shocked that she could do nothing but stand frozen in place with her mouth agape in stupefied disbelief. She had truly wanted to believe that her gesture of kindness would be rewarded by Solidus turning the other cheek and perhaps joining their side. Then again, she really hadn't had a chance to sit down and talk with him about those urges yet.

Her teammates took their attention off of the figure gaining visibility for a moment and focused on her distress. Solidus pulled Kimahri's spear from Seymour's body. His body gradually became solid as his pyreflies settled down. He was far too weak to stand up and had to kneel on the ground while he slowly waited for his strength to return to him. By his appearance it seemed as though Yuna had almost succeeded in overpowering him, which was quite a feat indeed. She was modest when it came to taking credit for her skill when in fact she was incredibly proficient at just about anything she cared to invest her time in. However, Yuna was not in the mood to pick diamonds out of coal and considered this blunder to be an unacceptable failure. The gun on her hip weighed heavily against her body. Even if she were to shoot him he would only come back again. Seymour's superiors had to know that he had died and there was usually no support given to the unsent. He must have been allowed to roam free due to his status or perhaps there were those in power above him that knew of his plans and had agreed to them. That made the most sense. Given that they might stand trial for this all sorts of ugly secrets were bound to pour out.

Snake turned his attention back on the figure who had finally become visible. Nobody needed to tell him who it was. His voice was positively unmistakable. It was a rasp filled with a hidden agenda on the edge of death from old age and kept anyone from thinking that he was actually Russian thanks to all those classes on pronunciation and dictation he'd taken. Revolver Ocelot had switched out of the outfit worn by the Gurlukovich army. He had neglected to braid his hair like the little girl he was and now had it flowing majestically down the back of his head like it was the only part of his body he really paid any attention to. His mustache had been trimmed and was no longer curled. Beneath the stereotypical trench coat he had demeaned himself by dressing in he had on what looked like a beige suit complete with matching slacks and a red tie. The cowboy boots with spurs confirmed that it was Ocelot if there happened to be any room for doubt, but the sunglasses he wore made Snake wonder if someone else was at work inside of his brain.

His coat was open just enough to expose one of his signature Colt Single Action Army revolver's. He usually carried two. Snake assumed his pockets had been stuffed to the breaking point with speed loaders. Without hesitating any longer he fired his M4 at Ocelot without bothering to aim. Any part of his body would do just so long as Snake could pump ten bullets into it. None of them managed to hit him and instead went flying off in a random directions. Raiden launched a grenade at Ocelot, but it didn't explode and instead rolled to a stop next to his boot. Ocelot merely laughed at their feeble attempts to kill him. He reached inside his trench coat and pulled out the device that Fortune had worn which made it impossible for him to get shot. There was no real reason to get rid of such a handy gadget until the newer model was released and only then if it were actually affordable.

"Hah. Cute. Get him Kimahri." Snake ordered.

Ocelot's smug attitude immediately turned into a mask of horror as the beast charged him. He activated his stealth camouflage clip and dove out of the way just as Kimahri's fist struck where his head had just been. Kimahri punched through the wall so hard that his fist stuck out the other side. Even though Ocelot was invisible they could still hear his spurs chinging as he ran around the balcony. Seymour cast a spell on Kimahri that made the barriers Lulu had put on him visible to the naked eye. They warped in on themselves and shattered. He did the same to everyone else. There wasn't anything they could do about it since he hadn't become physical yet. Thankfully he had to at some point, but obviously not before he rendered their barriers useless until Lulu could set them up again. Kimahri was not impressed by this and did not halt his pursuit of Ocelot.

While this was going on, Snake peered down into the chapel and saw that everything was as it should be. In the streets beneath them he spotted soldiers swarming to their location. While they could easily take out a small unit it would be more difficult to fight against an actual army. Lulu was probably almost spent and ether wasn't exactly healthy in large quantities. She was also their only black mage and if someone managed to take her out they would be in quite a bind. It was time to cut and run before the situation took a turn for the worse. Solidus, Seymour, and Ocelot would live another day, but at least they had managed to rescue Yuna.

"Leave him, Kimahri!" Snake shouted. "We've got to get going!"

Kimahri growled in disgust but complied just as Ocelot crashed into the altar and sprained his ankle.

"Can. . .can I go with you?" Johnny asked feebly.

"No!" Snake shouted.

"What's this? Another Ocelot? As if one weren't more than enough!" Solidus said.

"Lies! Nobody can be me quite like I can myself." Ocelot said as he decloaked and stood up. "Your confidence is overwhelming. Surely you. . ."

"Invisible Tengu's!" Lulu shouted from the chapel.

A scream of pain coming from her followed shortly. Five Tengu soldiers decloaked almost right next to the six men holding the balcony. All of them were equipped with flamethrowers that were primed and ready to use. One false move or two stray farts would be enough to ignite them. Snake found being threatened with death by fire very ironic given what he had done to his father.

"You idiots!" Ocelot hissed. "You were supposed to wait for the whistle!"

Off in the distance, Snake heard a mechanical screech and knew it couldn't have come from anything else but Metal Gear Rex. No matter how hard they had looked the other night none of them managed to find where the Rex's were being hidden. While their appearance was an extreme disadvantage for them it might reveal their locations to the people Snake had told to watch for. Three Rex models navigated clumsily through the streets until they all came to awkwardly positioned stops at designated spots within the city. Only a few buildings had been knocked over, but the streets where the Rex's had walked would need to be repaired. Each Metal Gear had a missile ready to fire from the rail gun. Seeing that everything was in place, Ocelot whistled anyway just for the hell of it. The soldiers he had planted nodded in response. Gunfire and frantic commands were coming from the chapel as Snake's peeps suddenly found themselves outnumbered and taken by surprise by the massive influx of Tengu soldiers.

"And now for the guests of honor!" Ocelot declared.

Two young women who were both dressed in elaborate religious robes came walking up from the chapel with two black mages flanking them. Both bore the symbol of a summoner on their backs. This meant that they could obviously summon and if they could obviously summon they could surely performing sendings as well with the nifty staffs they carried that resembled naginata's.

"If anyone here tries anything funny they won't be around a second time to try it again. Ever. Those twins will make sure of it." Ocelot said.

They nodded in affirmation of their duties and smiled to themselves.

"Drop your weapons." Solidus ordered.

Snake saw no immediate way out of this so he took apart his M4 and tossed the two pieces at Solidus. He then threw his bag over the side of the balcony just to be an ass. Raiden did the same thing. Tidus and Auron merely dropped their weapons to the ground. Solidus rolled his eyes at their gall and looked to Johnny who was still cowering on the ground with his ass back in the air. That position must have come natural to him for whatever reason as he never failed to revert to it even when he was sleeping on his stomach, which was unhealthy.

"Johnny, we're in control again!" Solidus shouted. "Gather their weapons. Snake and Raiden were dicks and threw theirs off of this balcony. Make sure you get everything as I want to see what they're packing."

"Yes, sir!" Johnny said.

He jumped to his feet and gathered the two swords, spear, and disassembled rifle that were nearby. Johnny then went downstairs so he could get outside to fetch the two bags.

"So now what? Are we captured?" Raiden asked.

"Yes, but don't be too sore about it." Ocelot replied. "I believe Snake has a backup plan he hasn't told anyone about. It runs in his family. I'll get that out of him soon enough."

"Really." Snake said. "You kind of look different, Ocelot. Like maybe you're taking after Liquid, or something."

"Don't even start on that." Ocelot warned sternly. "I got rid of that damn arm before Liquid could do any further damage. My new one is a cyberized prosthetic."

"I am not convinced. What if he's still hiding in you? What if he's waiting for the right moment to reawaken? What if next time he decides to stop by for a visit he gains total control of your body? Or maybe you're just schizophrenic."

"Nah, that can't happen." Raiden said dismissively. "The way I see it is that their two personalities will merge into one singular shared identity."

"God forbid." Ocelot muttered.

"Why were you stupid enough to put his arm on, anyway?" Raiden asked.

"It's a really good story. It goes back to my father and several things I've never cared to mention about myself. I'll tell you about it sometime when I've finished cutting your face off with a piece of glass."

"Don't think he's joking. I've seen him do it." Solidus vouched.

"What are you even doing here?" Snake demanded. "Do you love Metal Gear's so much that you have to be wherever they are?"

"I should ask you the same question! Anyway, my presence here is for an obvious reason. Gate travel." Ocelot answered. "It's truly a magnificent thing. Who would have thought that all of the experiments in teleportation could have been avoided if we had really gone looking for what was already available? I wonder what else is hidden on Earth. . .and Spira."

"If Ocelot says he's here for gate travel. . ." Raiden began. "Then that must mean he's here for some other reason."

"Magic. He wants the magic." Snake said.

"Maybe." Raiden said. "How long does it take to be as good as Yuna and Lulu, anyway?"

"At least three years with the user gaining proficiency every four months afterward if they choose to expand their spells, which all of them do." Auron replied.

"Three years, eh?" Ocelot said almost to himself.

"Do you think you can learn to do anything properly within a week?" Auron asked critically.

"No, but that was an interesting bit of information."

"I thought you and Solidus hated each other." Raiden said to Ocelot. "Change of heart?"

"No. He's simply not a threat to us." Ocelot said. "If he thinks that he can get anything done with his current plans, then that's fine with me. But that's enough talk for now."

Raiden gasped like the murderer had just been revealed.

"Could the Patriots be planning on fueling an armed insurrection against the world to further their own ideals through Solidus or a some other super terrorist?"

"Super terrorist. . ." Solidus repeated while shaking his head in shame.

"That's got to be it! Solidus, Ocelot's been. . ."

Ocelot pulled out his revolver in the blink of the eye and shot Raiden in the knee. Raiden collapsed to the ground and clutched his wound, which had been lessened by the protective layer of his suit but still hurt like hell anyway.

"See?" Raiden asked. "I'm right! He wants you to do what you're doing!"

"You've got it all wrong, carrier boy." Ocelot said. "I've been wanting to shoot you since the day I met you. I just haven't been given the opportunity to do so until now."

"Six bullets." Snake mocked in Ocelot's voice. "Well greased chamber."

"Quiet!" Ocelot shouted. "The Patriots have no need for Solidus or any of you."

A group of Tengu's came marching up the stairs behind Yuna's guardians. They were carrying handcuffs and electrical riot shields with them. Resistance would be futile. Everyone but Kimahri was restrained in the standard fashion. The Ronso was knocked out by a sleeping spell and lifted up by ten Tengu's who waited for further orders.

"Were you really intending to just waltz right on in and snatch Yuna away?" Solidus asked. "I'm almost certain that he's hiding something. Not even Snake could be that stupid."

"He was probably planning on escaping by air using an airship." Seymour said. "A clever and yet daring idea, if I may say so. It could have worked if we hadn't mobilized the Metal Gear's in time. Their fleet is somehow stronger than our own."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have blown up Home like an asshole and then we could have learned how exactly they build their ships." Solidus said.

"No worries. We'll just get the ships' location out of Snake. And other things too." Ocelot said.

"Ocelot, I think you've pretty much established that you're going to interrogate us so you can stop with your silly little hints." Snake said.

Yuna's scream of frustration interrupted their playful banter. She turned to Solidus with rage in her eyes.

"I just saved your life!" Yuna shouted. "And this is how you repay me? You don't even like Seymour! Is everything you told me last night some kind of lie? Did you only come to me because you knew I'd be willing to listen despite the fact that you tried to kill me?"

Solidus narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Yuna repeated in shock. "What. . .I'm talking about everything you told me last night when you were drunk! From it I believed that you needed a second chance and I ignorantly figured that saving your life would trigger something that would help you get better, but you just took that with a grain of salt and now you're forcing me back into a position that you don't even agree with! Don't you remember? You were drunk, but even I can remember what I do when I'm intoxicated so you being the manly man that you are can surely say the same for yourself!"

Solidus laughed at her.

"Are you kidding me? What did I say to you?"

"You told me about your wife, your father, those Patriots, how much you hated Seymour, how much you respect your men, and so on and so on. Then you told me about that loyalty to yourself or loyalty to others concept that I found so fascinating. You must have talked for nearly two hours in that hallway next to Seymour's bathroom. I couldn't even get a word in edgewise because you kept pouring out your problems on me and I just sat there and took it because I thought I was doing you a favor!"

"I honestly don't remember any of it. I remember the drink I had, but my head was killing me so badly this morning that I forgot everything else." Solidus said neutrally.

"Look, let's just get to the point, alright?" Yuna said through her tears. "I am trying to defeat Sin so Spira can thrive for another ten years. It's not much, but it's all we have. This Fiend here wants to use Sin to kill everyone on Spira and I could shout it to the heaven's and nobody would believe me except for the people who already know about it. Who do you think is right?"

She took a moment to gather herself and wipe her tears away. Some of the crowd had stirred at the mention of Seymour's plan. Seymour saw this as an insignificant development that could be corrected by propaganda. He would simply say that Yuna had been corrupted by a batch of ignorant Guardians who were slowly leading her away from the path of Yevon. The beliefs of the Al-Bhed girl were beginning to rub off on her so she would be temporarily unfit to continue the pilgrimage. While all this gossip was still fresh and her Guardians rotted in their cells, he'd marry her in a less elaborate wedding and take an airship directly to Zanarkand. Tradition dictated that the march to Zanarkand was to be done on foot, but he wouldn't be around to be reprimanded for it.

"Seymour's business is his own." Solidus said.

"Solidus, do you really want to use coercion and nuclear weapons to bring down the Patriots? You don't have to. Just talk to Snake. Do the same to him as you are doing to Seymour. You two would make a great team. What if you're wrong about the Patriots? Maybe they want to use you to bring chaos to the world. Blowing up countries seems more their style, don't you think? It's just like Raiden said."

There was another moment of silence as Yuna gave Solidus the chance to think the matter over.

"You have control over these Tengu's, don't you?" Yuna asked.

Solidus nodded.

"They were given to me by Seymour and they're coming back with me." Solidus added.

"Then tell them to let us go." Yuna asked. "I would be honored to have you and all of your men as Guardians, Solidus. Let's all go to Zanarkand together. You're not heartless like Seymour, are you? Trust me and let us go."

He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry." Solidus said. "You saved the wrong person."

He turned to his soldiers.

"Take them away."

"Except for Yuna." Seymour said as he began whole again. "She comes with me."

"No!" Yuna screamed. "Do you think that I'm some sort of pawn you can push around?"

Yuna cast a barrage of protection spells on herself in quick succession. She then tore through her gown with strength fueled by frustration and pulled out her USP.

"Oh, no not again." Seymour said as she aimed the sites at his head.

Yuna pulled the trigger and sent a .45 caliber bullet right into Seymour's brain, who fell to the ground dead again with a face contorted in endless frustration. Ocelot pulled out one of his revolvers with a blinding amount of speed and aimed at Yuna.

"Don't! If you shoot her then she won't be able to complete the pilgrimage!" Kinoc said.

"Is that a problem?" Ocelot asked.

The two other summoners present began running through the motions of calling up an Aeon. Yuna put two bullets into both of their legs and then turned her attention on the black mages who were charging her. Although she couldn't directly tell it seemed as though these two were specifically the one's who had watched over her. They put barriers up over themselves before Yuna had a chance to shoot at them. Since neither of them were armed they decided to try and restrain Yuna physically. Her CQC sessions with Snake came in handy. The black mages were not trained in Krav Maga so one wound up with three broken ribs while the other had his jaw cracked by the butt of the USP as Yuna slammed it into his face. Ocelot chuckled at her proficiency and decided to charge Yuna himself. Ocelot put up a fair amount of defense as the two searched frantically for an opening. Yuna lured him into a trap that allow her to deliver an uppercut to his jaw. Ocelot stumbled backward and fell to the ground on his rear.

"Damn Judo!" Ocelot cursed. "I guess I should have paid more attention."

Yuna then trained her gun on Solidus. Snake wished he could have helped her, but the flamethrowers carried a lot of weight. Yuna's aimed wavered as the Tengu's slowly began advancing toward her.

"No, it's no good." Yuna said. "I can't do it."

Yuna tossed the USP aside.

"I was wrong about you. I hope you never forget what you've done to me and to Spira. Maybe if I'm lucky you'll eventually regret it like everything else in your pathetic life! Go declare war on the world and pretend to be happy! You're no better than Seymour, you worthless coward!"

Solidus turned his back to her as his men quickly moved in to restrain her.

"Get them out of here now!" Solidus ordered.


	27. Chapter 26 : The Name Won't Fit In Here

**Chapter 26 : The Obligatory Prison, Torture, and Escape From Torture Prison Scene.**

The Bevelle Heretic Rehabilitation Center, otherwise known as the prison for those who could be justifiably put away for violating the law or defying Yevon in some way, was coincidentally located in the same building Yuna had almost been married in. It was somewhat fitting that a dungeon was kept so close to a place of worship. When taken and applied far too seriously many religions had a tendency to become hostile towards nonbelievers. Snake found himself somewhat concerned over how this situation would play out as he and his sizable band of cohorts were ushered into the lonely tunnels beneath the temple. The men carrying flamethrowers followed them closely from behind ensuring that if one of them ran they would all be toasted. Their casualties had been minimal thanks to Lulu, who had taken the worst wounds out of the group. They were nothing that a white mage couldn't fix, but they had been deliberately inflicted because with Lulu the team was positively invincible, at least against the Tengu unit.

As usual, their handy ability to use potent magic in tricky situations was hindered by curses, barriers, and the cold bodies of a bunch of socially inept black mages. Yuna had been separated from the group almost immediately by another batch of escorts who were also instructed to carry Seymour's dead body. Apparently he had opted to remain dead for at least an hour after the incident in case there were some clever follow up to the rescue attempt that would see him killed yet again. Coming back to life was apparently very hard work. The tunnels they were ushered into were expertly hidden from the naked eye. Only those who knew where to look could hope to find them. This was probably to keep the public from disagreeing with what transpired in the bowels of the temple. If they couldn't see it then it wasn't there. From the outset they were detestable to march through. Red bricks lined the floor while white bricks made up the walls. The area was poorly lit with torches that seemed to be designed to elicit dread due to their menacing appearance.

Snake expected to hear some agonizing screams, but the area was strangely quiet. After a short walk they reached a sparsely furnished room with one desk and a multitude of bored guards trying to keep themselves entertained. One of them was reading a book while two were engaged in a game similar to Othello. Another scribbled absently away at a notebook. They were well equipped and seemed to be capable of defending themselves with the weapons they carried. The ever classic requisite sword was a part of their issued weaponry as was a long spear used for fending off captives at a distance. Snake spotted a wide doorway covered in a magic barrier and assumed that the holding cells were just beyond it. One of Solidus' soldiers stepped forward to speak with the guards and was tripped by Raiden and kneed in the stomach on his way down by Wakka, causing his body to flip over a full one hundred and eighty degrees. He landed hard on his back, knocking the wind right out of him.

Raiden and Wakka played with each other's fingers in glee since they couldn't hi-five one another due to their restraints. Snake expected the flamethrower guards to push them around with their primed nozzles, but they thankfully didn't. Burn wounds were very difficult injuries to treat. The battered soldier got back up and addressed the guards.

"Are there enough cells in this block to accommodate a total of eight prisoners?" the voice belonged to Johnny.

"Nine." Snake corrected, including himself.

"Oh, I don't think so." Ocelot rasped as he stepped out from the shadows. "You're coming with me."

"I can't. I washed my hair."

"Very funny. Too bad for you I'm the stalker type."

"Cram them all in one cell." one of the guards muttered without looking up from his board game.

"Johnny, go get some extra security." Ocelot ordered. "As much of it as you can possibly find."

Ocelot took a black plastic sack out of his coat and placed it around Snake's head. He then handcuffed Snake, which caused him to snicker. Ocelot rolled his eyes and tightened the cuffs more than he actually needed to.

"Yes, we all know you can break through these." Ocelot said. "I'm not going to give you another chance to do that."

He spun Snake around a couple of times just for the hell of it and got a good grip on his cuffs. Ocelot then placed a hand on Snake's back and lead him to where they needed to go as Team Yuna was forced inside the cell area where an escape would be fairly difficult, if not impossible. Ocelot walked Snake father then where he intended to stop in order to confuse him. Snake knew what was going on, but there was little he could do to stop himself from becoming disoriented.

"Ocelot, there's nothing in Spira the Patriots could possibly want." Snake said through his sack.

"Are you trying to pump information out of me?"

"Yes."

"Blunt as ever, I see. Let's just say that when science finally discovers that moongates aren't an idea reserved only for PC games coded for DOS that certain people become interested and it doesn't hurt when the world on the other side has a ton of untapped natural resources."

Snake wasn't impressed.

"You're going to milk it dry for oil?"

"Not this one, by the looks of it. Right now I'm just trying to get home and in order to do that I have to rough you up a bit. Fair trade, I say."

"I take it your employers weren't too thrilled with your random lapses into Liquid's personality and had you volunteer yourself for this mission as a test of your competence?"

"It's true that even I get performance evaluations on occasion, but don't think even for a second that I'm just another grunt in their organization."

"Or so they would have you believe."

"Say what you will. I've lied to the point where telling the truth is useless so you decide for yourself what to believe. In the meantime, I'll do whatever the hell I want."

Ocelot opened the door to one of the many torture chambers and shoved Snake forward so forcefully that he tripped. Snake twisted during his fall and landed painfully on his arm to ensure he wouldn't land face first and break his nose. He grunted in pain as Ocelot hoisted him up by his cuffs and ushered him further into the room. One of the flamethrower guards was already in there accompanied by a black mage, who at this point were virtually indistinguishable. Ocelot tore the hat off of the mage and roughly undid the overly long neck of the robe that resembled a hood so he could get a look at the mage's face. A man with a face as pale as the moon with long black hair starred lifelessly back at him.

"Who are you with?" Ocelot asked. "Answer me or I'll slap you with my revolver."

"Seymour." she responded listlessly.

He wasn't lying and didn't look associated with Snake in any way.

"The long hair hanging over your face makes you look like a real emo princess." Ocelot remarked.

The mage didn't even blink. Ocelot handed his hat back to him and he slowly went about arranging his outfit so that his face was barely visible. For the time being, Ocelot needed to find a way of restraining Snake until he could decide what to do with him. He spotted a large wooden block and a metal beam running across the ceiling and put the two together. Ocelot made Snake stand up on the block and then undid his cuffs.

"If you try anything funny you're going to know how Big Boss felt in Zanzibar." Ocelot warned.

He turned Snake around and lifted his arms above his head. Ocelot then cuffed Snake to the beam that was purely there for what he was using it as. He tore the burlap sack from Snake's head. There was a humorously loud _ching _as Ocelot hopped down from the small platform. Snake observed the area and found that it was full of ancient medieval torture devices, including a breaking wheel and the classic iron maiden. A set of hooks used to tear the breasts from women were dangling from bloodied chains embedded into the walls. Since he found his anxiety heightened by these prospects he took his attention off of them and focused on Ocelot, who hopefully would find these tools far too dated and unsuitable for his style of interrogation.

Ocelot kicked the stand out from under Snake, forcing him to hang by his arms. It didn't hurt too badly yet, but it would eventually become quite unbearable.

"Alright. Let's get started." Ocelot said as he began looking for a toy to play with. "It's too bad they don't have anything electrical. I'll just have to improvise."

His head perked up sharply and he slowly turned to Snake with a grin full of unparalleled malice. He whispered something to the flamethrower soldier, who nodded and left the room to fetch the necessary supplies. The black mage hadn't moved since he finished fixing his costume. Ocelot found a chair to sit down on and cleaned the revolver he had recently fired while hardly ever taking his gaze off of Snake. Being the veteran that he was, Snake associated certain feelings with specific circumstances both at home and in the battlefield. Among the more dreaded sensations was the one he felt when he knew torture was imminent. It was something he never got used to. His skin became cold and clammy as he tried to focus on anything other than what was about to happen to him. In his entire military career, Snake had been through this routine a total of six times.

The second time was the worst. He'd finally gone through a procedure to remove the physical scars shortly before retreating to Alaska, but nothing could ever erase how it felt. Not even breaking his arm or almost losing his right foot. He could take assurance in the fact that Ocelot was rather clean in his approach to sadism and thus couldn't possibly do anything worse to him than that insurgent had. Snake made sure he enacted his revenge on the man before he completely escaped, though. He had yet to do that to Ocelot. The flamethrower soldier came back in with five other Tengu's and an archaic torture rack. A regular prison guard came in with a bucket full of raw sewage and a set of cloths. Snake closed his eyes and promised himself he'd beat in Ocelot's head with a cinder block. He was going to be waterboarded.

Snake was roughly taken down from the beam and strapped onto the rack. A Tengu stuffed his mouth full with a gag to block the airway and then tightly wrapped a cloth around his head so he couldn't spit it out. The regular guard went back to fetch more foul water for the purpose of the exercise while another Tengu put a blindfold on Snake and adjusted the rack so that Snake's head was pointing towards the floor. Snake was taking in some relaxing breaths while he still had the chance to do so. He could only breathe out of his nose. The gag had been stuffed in his mouth in such a way that it did a very good job of earning its name. Snake figured this was going to be very painful. If he struggled too hard against his restrains he could break his bones and that wouldn't help him at all.

He took comfort in the knowledge that Ocelot couldn't possibly intend to kill him and that this was merely a precursor to what might come next. He heard more people being forced into the room.

"Snake!" Rikku called. "What are you doing to him?"

If he could have managed to do so he would have sighed heavily. She was going to be deeply scarred by what she was about to witness. It looked more horrible than it actually felt seeing as how Snake had been trained to resist torture. Obviously Ocelot already knew Snake would be a tough nut to crack and sought to shorten his time extracting information from the man by getting it from his friends so he could spend the rest of the day doing interrogations at his leisure. Ocelot drew near with a foreboding _ching _accompanying every step he took. Snake wanted to tear off his spurs and shove them down his throat.

"It warms my heart to have an audience. We've got Raiden, Otacon, and some blonde bimbo that doesn't look like she'd be able to pass her first semester of college algebra."

"My name is Rikku and geometry is more my style." she asserted firmly.

Ocelot shrugged her confidence off. He checked the bucket to make sure none of the swill would get on his fancy set of clothes since he had neglected to bring more than one pair and stood up on the wooden block so his boots would remain unsoiled if Snake struggled.

"Let's be honest with each other. I know you're hiding information. You had a second group watch for where the Metal Gear's appeared so that they could track them and destroy them while you were caught. That doesn't concern me. All I want to know is where that airship is. If you tell me that then Seymour can carry on his silly little plot unhindered. And as for you and all your friends? You'll be given the chance to walk away and start life anew as prisoners of the Patriots. Talk now and I won't get nasty. I promise."

Snake knocked his knuckles against the wood in Morse code, which Ocelot recognized and understood.

"Hello, Liquid." Ocelot translated aloud.

Ocelot's eyes narrowed as he shook with unbridled fury at Snake's insolence.

"You know what, Snake?"

Ocelot poured the first barrage of dirty water over Snake's face.

"That's what." Ocelot replied for him.

Years of bad-assery could only narrowly save him from screaming. There was a unique burning sensation as the water went through his nose and down into his mouth. Holding his breath would not help since he was tilted at an incline. Every time Ocelot dumped water on him, he'd feel it. The only thing he could do was swallow the water as it entered into his mouth. This was sufficiently complicated because the water was quite foul. The gag prevented him from swallowing properly, so every time he tried to do something about his predicament he choked and gagged. A simulation of drowning. This was what waterboarding was. And it was very terrible. In addition to agonizing him and damaging his insides, it also brought back some rather unpleasant memories. Snake wasn't unfamiliar with drowning.

Ocelot poured a second barrage over Snake's face.

"There we go. Drink up!" Ocelot urged.

Snake's nails began digging into his flesh as he clutched his fists to the point of popping his wrists. His audience wasn't encouraged by his shaking body and muted coughs as he tried to deal with Ocelot's interrogation. He couldn't tell if the man was getting carried away or not. It felt like it, but there was no real way to know when it came to this form of torture. Ocelot tore out the gag to give him a feeble moment to catch his breath. After three hoarse gasps, he put the gag back into place. A foul feeling began to build up in Snake's stomach. He wanted to vomit, but if he did that he would surely suffocate.

"When you've had enough, press the select. . .I mean, just give me a thumbs-up." Ocelot told Snake. "Of course, I'm always open to what your friends have to say as well."

More water was dumped on Snake's face. The faces of his comrades were covered in masks of terror and confusion. They would be easier to break than Snake. All that was required of Ocelot was a little more leverage.

"Are you just going to stand by and watch him suffer? Can't you see that he's drowning?" Ocelot asked. "Throw him a lifesaver."

He poured some water over Snake's suit to further simulate his unfortunate predicament, but both of them knew that was more for style than anything else since Snake was familiar with this sort of treatment.

"He didn't tell us anything special. The plan was what the plan was!" Raiden said. "All we know is that we came here for Yuna."

"If he had any secret ideas I'm sure he's the only one who knows about them." Otacon said.

"Yes, but where's the airship? For now I want to know where that airship is!" Ocelot said as he poured another barrage of water on Snake's face for emphasis. "They can take care of any attempts to sabotage those Metal Gear's just fine by themselves, but if you're allowed to continue your little save the world campaign than that isn't going to work well for Seymour!"

"Why are you even here?" Otacon demanded.

"Because nobody took into account that it was a one way trip and I'll be damned if I have to stay in a world governed by some petty religion! Stop asking me questions or I'll make it worse for all of you."

A loud explosion that shook the ground beneath them interrupted Ocelot's interrogation. He fell off of the block and landed painfully on his back. The bucket he had held came lose from his grip during the plunge and dumped its contents all over his fancy suit. Such damage was permanent. Nothing would ever get the smell out, much less the stain. Ocelot screamed in anger and stood up, trying to get the excess juice out of his clothes before they sunk in further by squeezing the liquid out, which never worked. He kicked the bucket as hard as he could and took out a Tengu soldier who had been standing by the door. Another explosion went off, this one closer and more severe than the first. Snake's three teammates perked their heads up hopefully and looked at the ceiling in confusion. The man of the hour, Solid Snake himself, was still busy trying not to think about what he had been forced to swallow. There was a tremendous roar in the distance that barely managed to reach their ears. It didn't sound like a Metal Gear. Whatever had made the noise had to have been a little bit bigger.Solidus abruptly burst through the door, covered in soot. He briefly examined the scene and almost laughed to himself when he saw that Ocelot's annoying suit had been ruined.

"Did you get the location of the airship out of him yet?"

"I just started!" Ocelot shouted. "So that would be a very flat no!"

"Save it for later. We're under attack. Right now I need my men back and Seymour needs every single guard in the city."

"No, he's not going to get a break. Put those rats back in their cells and lend me ten of your troops."

"Forget it." Solidus said with a strong tone of finality. "You can use the prison guards for that purpose."

"Just what the hell is going on out there?" Ocelot demanded.

"Fall in." Solidus ordered, ignoring Ocelot.

His men did as they were told and immediately left Snake's three companions standing where they were. Ocelot gritted his teeth and turned to the black mage and the one prison guard still in the room with him after his temporary support had left.

"Kill them if they move." Ocelot said.

The mage and guard looked at each other in confusion as they were unsure of whether or not they could accept such an order from him. Ocelot sighed in frustration and bolted out of the torture room. The apathetic prison guard closed the door behind Ocelot and kept his eyes fixated on the three additional guests. He would never know who knocked him out. The black mage checked his pulse to ensure that he was still alive and then quickly scurried over to where Snake had been restrained. He produced a sharp knife from his long sleeves and quickly cut through the bonds that held Snake painfully in place. After he was free he tore gag out of his mouth just in time to be hit with the initial barrage of his stomachs disagreement with the sewer water. Snake rolled over and heaved while trying to get his breath back, which sounded oddly enough like the mating call of a killer whale. Once he finished recovering he stood to meet his savior.

"That was a lot quicker than I expected." Snake said tiredly.

"We already had the Cloister of Trials solved. She just walked right in and got that Aeon." the black mage answered.

"Which one did she get this time?"

"Bahamut."

"_Bahmut_? Is it a sheep dog with a mixed family?"

"It's a giant dragon."

Snake scoffed in a disappointed manner as if the dragon held no significant value. Even if he saw it in person it was already too late. Snake had come to automatically form strong opinions based on second hand information and nothing could really change them.

"Is it really Lace in disguise?"

"It's not that kind of dragon."

"Good! Probably."

The mage took of his hat and robes, revealing his identity to everyone in the room.

"You still look the same, Vincent." he said heavily.

"I don't believe I'm capable of aging. Sorry to disappoint you."

"That's right, now I remember." Snake said to himself.

Before they could further their conversation a single Tengu soldier burst into the torture chamber. He elicited a unique high pitched war cry as he swept the room with his P-90 from the entrance. The team tensed for a moment as they thought he would start shooting at them, but it was apparent that he had other intentions. He was armed to the teeth with more bullets than he would actually need and an extra rifle that was more cumbersome than it was beneficial. His grenade pouch was overflowing with its contents. Two sidearm's graced both of his legs. Snake immediately noticed they were not the same model and easily deduced who this maniac was.

"Snake!" the soldier exclaimed. "You're. . .okay?"

"Of course I am, Johnny."

"I get it. You intentionally got yourself caught, didn't you?"

Snake nodded in confirmation of his flawless logic. Nobody seemed too surprise to hear this news.

"I feel betrayed." Raiden muttered.

"I want compensation!" Rikku demanded.

"Did you come here to save me?" Snake asked.

Johnny lowered his weapon and nodded sheepishly.

"I figured you'd let me join you if I tried to help. Besides, what Solidus did to Yuna was just wrong! I don't want to work for him anymore."

"What if you had gotten yourself killed?" Rikku asked.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing that's ever happened to me. But aside from that, I freed all of your friends! You can come in now, guys."

He made an elaborate gesture towards the door so everyone would focus their attention on it whether they wanted to or not. The rest of Team Yuna appeared in the doorway, fully armed and properly equipped for battle despite their battered conditions. Tidus tossed Snake his recovered item bag.

"He made us wait for that cue." Auron said.

"You've got your timing down better than Ocelot, don't you?" Snake asked.

"That's right!" Johnny replied with fierce pride.

"Care to explain this new development, Snake?" Lulu asked.

"It's just a plan between me and Cloud. If this works out we won't have to worry about the Metal Gear's anymore. We'll get to Sin post haste and end this catastrophic debacle before it has a chance to get even more convoluted. For now, we're going to escape to the Macalania forest. But before that, does anyone have any gum? I have the most horrid taste in my mouth right now."

Johnny pulled a package of gum from his pocket and handed it to Snake. It was a watermelon strawberry mix. Snake couldn't think of any combination of flavoring that was more feminine. Despite that he still popped three pieces into his mouth and began chewing them vigorously. The sweetness was pleasing to his palate.

"So does this mean I can come with you guys?" Johnny asked hopefully.

Snake looked at Otacon and Raiden, who seemed horrified with the idea. Johnny really wasn't in their league. Yet. If he ever would be. Still, it would be good for their karma if they let the man follow them. Nothing was wrong with that and it prevented him from becoming an official member of their group. Johnny was capable of taking care of himself and would probably find his way back to them if they ever got separated due to his uncanny determination. Of course, Snake wasn't going to tell him that. Instead of answering, Snake pulled out his M63. Otacon and Raiden responded by trying to get their own weapons only to find that they didn't have their bags. Johnny quickly sprang into action and handed them their individual bags that he had acquired while subduing the one guard still left on duty after the initial bombardment on the surface began. Snake turned to Vincent and pushed the wad of gum in his mouth to one side so he could speak.

"Are you going to lead the way, or what?" he asked.

Snake blew a bubble. Vincent nodded and took point. The entourage poured out of the torture chamber. Anyone dumb enough to get in their way now deserved what they got. It was too bad that several soldiers wouldn't gain such insight until after they had been killed. Raven's offhand comment about how each step Snake took would be paved with the corpses of his enemies had never been more poignant or disturbingly insightful. While he was usually not in the habit of noticing such frivolous details, Snake did spot a fair amount of blood on his boots. Then again, the rescue operation had not been intended to be a clean one. It wasn't long before they made their way back into the church, which was still a mess seeing as how the janitors and morticians hadn't returned from their lunch break quite yet.

A quick scan of the place revealed more bodies than usual. There had been a fresh set of guards through the area earlier, which made sense as someone needed to make sure that Team Yuna didn't escape. Thankfully that had been taken into consideration earlier, but Snake was unsure of who to thank for doing the task.

"Vincent, is this your handiwork?" Snake asked.

"I guess." Vincent said, shrugging indifferently.

"Kind of makes you think of the Gray Fox, doesn't it?" Otacon asked.

"Dead guards are dead." Raiden said.

They were easily able to get outside of the church. The crowd that had been there earlier had dispersed. There was hardly any evidence that a wedding had taken place earlier. No guards were in sight. All they had to worry about were the civilians who were running around as if the world was ending as nearby explosions shook the ground they stood on. Vincent took them through the streets and passed several squads of Tengu's who were too preoccupied with the current threat to notice them. As they ran along, something humongous passed them by overhead. Snake chanced a look to the sky above and spotted a gigantic blue dragon with a rather peculiar wheel on its back.

It seemed to spot a target as it scanned the ground below and reeled upward. The head of a Metal Gear Rex became visible as the buildings began shrinking in size now that they had entered the poor section of Bevelle. It fired a barrage of artillery at Bahamut's golden chest, which appeared to do no practical damage whatsoever. The beast responded by opening up its mouth. A ball of energy charged within its maw and the wheel on its back began spinning. Charging seemed to be pretty popular among these creatures. Snake decided that if he ever had the opportunity to keep an Aeon he'd have it do its most powerful tricks on command with no wait involved. After around thirty seconds of letting the intensity build, it launched a huge rainbow energy bolt at the Metal Gear's head.

Since their eyes were clearly focused on the battle above and not on the street below, various antics happened that prevented some of them from clearly seeing the Rex's head explode into a fireball of intense pwnage. Raiden fell through an open manhole with Johnny following right behind him, Vincent collided with three panicked civilians and went tumbling into a market stand selling fruit, Kimahri tripped over a blitzball and fell on top of Snake, and Lulu's dress finally jumped up and snared her. Wakka and Tidus stopped for a moment to help the two other men out of the manhole while everyone else continued following after Vincent. Finished with disposing of the Rex's, Bahamut followed them from above to ensure their safe passage. Snake didn't dare look up with something that huge looming directly above them. Raiden covered his head with both of his hands for a moment until he realized that it hindered his ability to run.

"Vincent." Raiden eventually called.

"Yes?"

"In my shape running for more than a mile is nothing. Does everyone else feel the same?"

Their were some murmured grunts of agreement from the team.

"However, it would have been nice if you could have gotten us a bunch of those stupid bird horses to ride out on. Why didn't you?" Raiden asked.

"I don't know. Probably because herding them all to one spot would have been a nightmare." Vincent said.

Vincent stopped abruptly in his tracks. He had successfully lead them out of the city and they now stood in the middle of a dirt path surrounded by the outlining farms. The Macalania forest continued photosynthesis about five klicks to their north. Vincent pointed toward it.

"There you go." he said. "I'll stay behind and make sure we weren't followed."

"Wait, where's Yuna?" Snake asked.

"On the dragon." Yuffie answered.

Snake hesitantly took out his binoculars and looked up at the dragon. Sure enough, Yuna was riding on its neck. She had changed out of her wedding dress and now wore a set of clothes that had to have come out of Tifa's spare wardrobe. Hopefully she still had her summoner's outfit somewhere. Leather didn't fit her very well, but Snake knew she would have proffered that over wearing what Seymour had given to her.

"We got out of that scrap rather easily." Snake said almost to himself. "I expected it to be much more difficult."

"That route I took you down was secured on both sides." Vincent said. "I wouldn't lead you into danger. Besides, we're not alone. Red and the rest are here, as well. We also took a couple of extra soldiers from your lot of prisoners along with us."

"That's quite a combination." Snake remarked.

"What about those soldiers we went in with?" Wakka asked. "We're not leaving them behind, are we?"

"No, they'll regroup and get out of here together." Snake explained. "Cloud is supposed to see to that. Vincent, send my thanks to the rest of your personal entourage."

"I'll do that. Until we meet again, Solid Snake."

Vincent knelt down on all fours and transformed himself into a werebeast. Startled reactions were garnered for this by everyone but Snake. He ran off with great speed back to Bevelle to help complete Snake's great rescue operation.

"Let's see. Monsters, magic, cute women, and people that can turn themselves into things." Raiden said, counting them off on his fingers. "The best things we have on Earth are the biggest hole in the world in Siberia, Creepy Crawlers, Netflix, and the Bible. I think I want to live here."

"Yeah, but if we did that we'd be avoiding responsibility." Otacon said. "If we don't stop Ocelot or the Patriots, there's no telling what will happen to the rest of the universe."

"I guess I'll save it for retirement, then." Raiden said.

"That's not a bad idea." Snake muttered.

They headed into the woods.


	28. Chapter 27 : Reunion

**Chapter 27 : Reunion.**

It didn't take them too long to stumble upon Yuna just as she slipped on her right boot. She was sitting on a log next to a large lake with an interesting texture to the water within. Odd sparkles floated around happily inside of it, which didn't make it appear drinkable. The Oregon Trail had done well to instill the fear of dysentery in those from Earth. Yuna had neatly laid Tifa's clothes on top of each other to her left. She didn't have the skill to do the sash up in a bow by herself to complete her regular outfit, but then again few people actually could. Yuna's first reaction was to give Tidus an embrace in the form of a great big bear hug. Rikku and Lulu silently ushered the team out of the area while the two began exchanging predictable tidings with one another. Kimahri stayed behind at a distance to guard the couple. Snake checked his watch as Rikku shoved him from behind. He set an alarm to go off in ten minutes. That was all they could spare. They couldn't afford to have any time to rest due to their highly noticeable escape, but love enjoyed calling logic stupid so there wasn't much he could do other than to give them some time alone with each other.

"Ten minutes?" Auron asked.

Snake's concentration broke as he noticed Auron looking over at Raiden's former watch that had skillfully become his own. He nodded at Auron and shook off Rikku's baby hands. When they broke into a clearing, Johnny actually made himself useful and began climbing the tallest tree he could find. Otacon and Rikku watched as he skillfully shimmied his way up all the way to the top without even needing a rope. He took out a set of binoculars and made sure the M4 he had was fully loaded before assuming the responsibility of their scout. Snake didn't like the idea of him becoming a permanent addition to their team and made a note to call Cid and have him bring the airship around when there was a place for it to land so that Johnny could help out on the airship with whatever menial task they could think of for him.

He had half a mind to set up some claymores along their perimeter, but he decided against it. Vincent had said he would cover their escape, but how was his problem. He did have some pretty heavy duty materia the last time Snake had inquired, but it might not be enough to fully contain the swarm of soldiers that would be hunting them within the hour. Snake sat down on a rock and was immediately accompanied by a cheerful Rikku.

"So what's our next move?" she asked.

The collective attention of the team centered on him. Snake wasn't surprised.

"First we wait for Cloud's damage report. I don't know how long. . ."

Snake's CODEC went off. Cloud had never been quite so punctual before. The unsettling nature of the unexpected coincidence sent Snake off of his rock with his M-9 in hand. With a heavy sigh, he climbed atop the rock again and answered the CODEC call.

"Snake here."

"It's me." Cloud said. "From what I can tell we eliminated all but one of the Metal Gear's. Bahamut should be able to easily take out the last one if it comes in the night for you, but I doubt that will happen with the current situation in Bevelle. That last Metal Gear also has the last nuke inside of it."

"Damn! Where could the other one be?"

"I'm not sure, but it must be somewhere. Look on the bright side, though. With one nuke he won't be able to blow up all of Spira. Just so you know, the Metal Gear's were hidden in the ocean that surrounds Bevelle. After production they apparently let them sit there since they couldn't find any other place to hide them. Those that weren't baited out we personally took care of. They had quite an elaborate setup down there."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. Seymour's propaganda is already making its way unto the streets, but the people seem to doubt that someone like Yuna would go on a rampage without a good reason. And why would Seymour need to use force against her Guardians? The people believe that if she has done wrong she should receive a fair trial for the damage she has caused, but nobody is willing to arrest her because nothing can be brought against her quite yet. As of now Yuna's image hasn't changed. You should be able to complete your mission without any trouble from the public."  
"Are we being followed?"

Cloud was momentarily distracted by one of his associates. Snake couldn't tell what they were saying and didn't deem it too important because it sounded like Yuffie was talking to him.

"You're not being followed. Seymour's busy defending himself since the public and the lower senate have him in check. Under the sanctions imposed by Yevon, Machina may only be used for defensive purposes. While blowing up Home did earn him some points, it has also caused a stir of Al-Bhed sympathizers. That alone would not have been enough to get him into any kind of trouble. Yuna's tirade changed the situation. Seymour is going to be very busy with those two issues for the next few days. It looks like those Metal Gear's are giving everyone a bad vibe. Imagine that."

"Do you think he will send anyone after us?"

"It's possible. I wouldn't rule it out. However, they would have to be pretty inconspicuous since Seymour can't do anything right now other than explain his actions."

Johnny suddenly fell out of the tree screaming in terror. He landed in a thick packet of bushes as a peculiar flying gargoyle cyclops Fiend descended upon him. Lulu turned it into steak with a snap of her fingers. Wakka helped the man up and checked to see if Johnny had broken anything.

"We'll stick around Bevelle for a little longer just to be safe." Cloud said.

"I thought you had other matters to attend to." Snake said.

"Don't worry about that. I've about finished what I came here to do. Besides, you're less than two weeks away from getting all that you need to defeat Sin. Hopefully. In the meantime, we'll be monitoring the current situation. The moment Seymour sends someone after you guys I'll let you know. Call me if you need anything."

Cloud signed off and Snake relayed what he had been told to the rest of the team.

"Do you think they'll arrest Seymour?" Wakka asked.

"Lowermembers of the senate." Auron repeated as a response.

Wakka sighed as his hopes were dashed so brutally.

"Who gets to tell Yunie she's not going to die?" Rikku asked enthusiastically.

"Tidus probably will." Lulu replied.

"Johnny, get back up that tree." Snake ordered.

"Yes, sir." Johnny replied meekly.

He painfully shimmied back up the tree and continued his surveillance of the terrain. Snake smiled inside. Apparently Johnny wasn't so worthless after all. It was odd that a monster had attacked them since they still had that special ball Wakka carried. Either Johnny's luck was apparently just that awful or they would need to stop relying on it.

"Let's see if I still remember what the hell we're doing after all of that garbage. The next stop is the Calm Lands, right?"

The four who would know nodded helpfully.

"I know this is such a good idea that it couldn't possibly work so let me pose yet another question by asking what's to stop us from getting on our airship, bypassing the hike, and parachuting into Zanarkand?"

Nobody answered him. Lulu and Rikku exchanged terrified glances with one another while Auron quietly broke into a nervous sweat. Raiden looked up at Johnny to see if he needed any help. Somewhere off in the distance, two Fiends engaged in a battle to the death. Their ferocious cries of blatant savagery carried over to them as Snake waited for an explanation. One of the Fiends uttered a high pitched cry of pain and then was silent. Finally, Rikku was able to think of what she believed was a proper compromise.

"We could catch some Chocobo's in the Calm Lands. That's a better idea." Rikku said.

Snake's watch beeped at him. He switched it off and pulled out his pack of cigarettes that he had stolen from the Guado hotel.

"As much as I doubt his Casanova-like qualities, I'll give that stupid tweak another five minutes." Snake muttered to himself. "And he had better damn well be grateful for them."

After lighting up he stood from his seat and walked away from the center of the group so they would infer that he no longer wanted to speak with them. Fourteen days was indeed a long time to be chased around by a militia and three lunatics. At least it was almost over and they had rescued Yuna. Snake had to remind himself that despite his current frustration at not being able to get rid of the two individuals who hindered their progress the most, things could have been a lot worse. He found a spot for himself and checked to see if he had been followed. Once he knew he was alone he changed out of his sneaking suit and put on some forest camo. While smoking, he tried hard not to brood over what had happened during the wedding. A woman like Yuna shouldn't have been subjected to all that stress. He truly hoped that she had not directly taken the lives of anyone who didn't resign themselves to such a fate by piloting the machines she sought to destroy. That was what he and the others were there for.

And to think that she had placed any trust in Solidus. Snake sighed and took out a Beretta from his bag to keep himself from brooding any further. While the gun had been serviced, Snake made no attempt to polish its outward appearance. It had seen better days. He ejected the clip. Twelve bullets gleamed up at him. The gun was just the way he'd left it decades ago. Fully loaded. Never fired.

**X**

He'd heard rumors that the Marines were unflankable. They also prided themselves in the belief that they were the only branch of the American military that knew how to shoot. He couldn't say why these inane thoughts were running through his head. Perhaps he was just trying to comfort himself. In a situation so dire it was only appropriate. The Coast Guard was the best with handguns and close quarters combat. They had to be. David couldn't say why, but none of those units appealed to him. He chose the army to begin his quest towards becoming a member of any special forces unit within that branch. A representative of one of them had scouted him during boot camp, which was a rarity, and word had it that he would be watched by a unit operating under the name FOX-HOUND. Nobody could automatically transfer to a group that high up in the spectrum without getting their hands dirty. Even so, a man known only as Big Boss had told David he'd be hearing from him again if he survived his first tour of duty. David had to earn his spot in their ranks. For now, he was just another soldier in the army running around in Iraq during the Gulf War.

It had all happened so fast. An RPG had struck the tail rotor of the helicopter he was in. Few other attacks could take down a bird so efficiently. The gunner hadn't noticed the lone Republican Guard soldier left for dead after the rooftop he had been on was showered in lead. David had been thrown from the back of the Chinook helicopter into a full swimming pool. Colliding with the concrete gave him a bruise on his back and a crick that would never leave him. After climbing out of it and pulling himself together he limped into a locker room and checked for any broken bones. He was completely unarmed except for his grenade sack. Five regular hand grenades and two stun grenades loomed up at him as he checked the container in the dimly lit room. Gunfire and screams proved a suitable backdrop to his misfortune. He'd dropped his rifle somewhere during the fall. As if he could have been expected to keep it on him in the chaos. David swore violently at himself as he thought out what he could possibly do next.

He'd have to regroup with his squad or find another squad to jump in on. The operation was still underway. He wouldn't be left behind if he could find some other soldiers on his side to fight with. This was such a perfect induction to his first day of active service. Without a gun he was just waiting to be killed. David began breaking open the lockers to try and find a weapon. Suntan lotion, swimming suits, and old books were the only items he found. Frustrated, he decided to go back to the downed helicopter and see if he could procure a means to defend himself with. It wasn't hard to find it due to the smoke cloud rising into the sky, but getting there was incredibly difficult. While climbing over some rubble he counted that he had been out in the open for more than thirty seconds. The moment he rounded a corner a sniper bullet took off much of the cement that had been used to build the desecrated meat market he hid behind.

They were on to him. David rushed toward the burning remains and looked around for any signs of life. He heard someone call his name and spotted his sergeant huddled up in the shadows next to a dumpster. The sergeant was a crumpled heap and a shell of his former self on the verge of death. On top of that, it looked like his chest had been crushed by the impact. He wouldn't make it out of here alive with his injuries. David rushed over to him.

"David." the sergeant rasped. "There's a Saudi unit nearby. Here, take my gun."

David took a Beretta from the captain's side and discovered that it was fully loaded. The sergeant reached for a grenade with his one good arm and put it in his lap.

"What. . .what about you?" David stammered.

The sergeant laughed weakly.

"Well, both of my legs are broken and I'm bleeding internally, but don't worry. I've sewn some pretty good karma with this life. Hurry. The Guard will be here any minute to check and see how many men they killed and to take advantage of any disoriented survivors. Motherfuckers."

"I can't just leave you!"

"Yes, you can. You have to. Hell of a first day, Dave. It's a good thing you had something like this happen early. Now get the hell out of here. . .and be careful."

The sergeant laid down with his back toward the spot where he believed the Republican Guard would enter from. He clutched the pin of the grenade between his teeth and played dead while David fled the scene. It wasn't long before he heard the explosion and even though he'd been trained not to jump at such sounds he couldn't help but do so. With a painful sigh, David took to the alleyways and tried desperately to find someone. Anyone. He tried to concentrate all of what he had been taught on everything he was doing. David felt completely lost, but at the same time there was something oddly liberating about working alone. He vaguely felt as though he were completely hidden from the enemy and there was something about it that helped him move forward. While he had been trained not to rely on such feelings it was all he could do to keep from panicking.

After around twenty minutes of running around in the alleys with very little respect paid to a specific destination he came upon the sound of a man screaming in immense pain. The sound was coming from an open window a few feet ahead of him. A back door would lead him to its source. David's body seized up as he tried to figure out how he should handle the situation. He snuck in closer and ducked next to the door the sounds were emitting from.

"Do you think anyone is coming to save any of you?" a terrorist demanded in Arabic. "Do you think just because your friends are here that they will think to look in this spot so deep within enemy territory?"

A man was being brutalized in the room and several others were weeping freely. David's heart was beating so fast that he could barely breath or feel his hands shook in fear brought on by his indecision. He was just one man. Taking on whoever was in that room would not be in his best interest, but he couldn't allow himself to leave behind another person in suffering if he could actually help them this time.

"Nobody is coming here! If they do, it will be too late! We no longer need any information from any of you! You will all die here! Those who beg hard enough for mercy I will only maim so that not even your mothers will look upon you with anything but disgust!"

David's jaw locked under his gritted teeth. He took a stun grenade from his bag as the screaming continued. He couldn't just leave the men the way they were. He couldn't. If they could be saved, then they should be saved. No man left behind. That's what the SEALS said. No man left behind. No exceptions. Even if he were dead. Therein was a strong principle of honor. He took out a stun grenade and pulled the pin. David lobbed it inside the window and kicked down the door when it went off. With his gun pointed forward he rushed into the room and was about to shoot the terrorist fumbling about blindly on the ground when someone grabbed him from behind.

"Are you trying to be a hero, yankee?" another terrorist from behind him demanded.

The two men struggled fiercely for a moment while the other tried to recover from the stun grenade. David allowed the man to get a hold on him and then jerked his head upward sharply, smashing the man's chin into his upper jaw and breaking several bones therein. That loosened the grapple just enough for Snake to break away. He punched the terrorist once in the gut and again across his face, which knocked him out cold. David turned his attention to the other man on the ground. Seeing that he was defenseless the torturer changed his tune and began backing away on his rear.

"Please! No kill! No kill!" he said strongly in broken English. "Geneva convention! Geneva convention!"

He wasn't afraid of one soldier who was obviously separated from his unit. David looked around and saw the bodies of several dead men and women heaped up in the corner. Blood was all over the room, mostly in the form of hand prints on the walls. Archaic torture devices were placed randomly around the room. A man was tied to a chair with one of his eyes missing and the other severally damaged. All of his teeth were sitting in his lap. Another prisoner of war was chained to the wall with all of his fingers and toes missing. Three more had been forced inside impossibly small cages that were hooked up to car batteries. One victim in a cage had been positioned over a live fire. He had died quite a while ago and had been left to cook. The man on the ground who the torturer had been working on was skinned alive. Salt was on the floor he couldn't even bring himself to stand up on.

Nobody in the room was without an injury. It was horrifying. David unfortunately let the scene distract him enough to give the torturer an advantage. He charged into David's gut and slammed him up against a wall. The hit had been so hard that David began feeling nauseous. He dropped his gun and the two men fell to the ground together. The torturer put his hands around David's head and was about to gouge his eyes out with his thumbs when Snake retrieved his gun and cracked it against the man's skull right above his ear. While the moment was still fresh he put one hand on the torturers chin and the other on the top of his head. One twist was all it took. A sick crack emitted as his neck broke.

Just like that, the fight was over. The body of the unknown sadist lied flat and limp against his chest. He was brought out of the trance this conflict had left him in by the sound of the skinned man still howling in pain as he tried in vain to minimize his agony.

"Those were the only two left." the individual chained to the wall suddenly said. "The others went out when the operation began, but they might be back soon."

David hardly heard him as he rolled the dead body off of himself. He got to his feet just as several Saudi's rushed in.

"Don't shoot, it's an American." one of them said.

Everything was in slow motion as the Saudi's secured the scene and prepared to release the prisoners of the hidden torture den. He looked down at the man he had killed. His face was so smooth. So free of wrinkles. This man had never seen a day of combat. He spent his time among the safety of real soldiers, brutalizing whatever captives were given to him. At night he would participate in recreational activities with the other troops and consider himself on their level even though he had never fired a gun at an opponent who also had one. He was a worm.

"Are you alright?" a Saudi soldier asked him as he waved his hand in front of his face.

"He's fine! He's just another private. There have been a lot of those around lately. This must be the first time he's killed someone. Check the prisoners." another replied in Arabic.

"There's nothing we can do for this one." one soldier announced as he put a bullet into the head of the skinned man.

"You know what it means to be a soldier." the words of Big Boss rung in David's head. "Come see me when you know how it feels to be a soldier."

David, the man who would become Solid Snake, the most feared individual in the mercenary world and one of the most efficient soldiers his country had ever produced could clearly remember three things from his first kill. The crack of the unknown man's neck and the weight of the fully loaded Beretta in his hands as the heat of the Iraqi desert clung to his skin.

**X**

He never took the Bronze Star they had given him for saving those men out of its case. Snake put his Beretta away and took out his M4. He looked up at the sky for comfort and instead found confusion. This wasn't his first night under Spira's sky and he still found their solar system quite odd. Stars were clearly different colors here. He could see several different nebula's in full detail and there wasn't any light pollution to obstruct his stargazing. They even had moons. It was hauntingly beautiful and only served to reinforce how far away he was from home and how utterly different their two worlds were.

"Damn." Snake said to himself. "What a great life I have."

Something rustled in the bushes behind him. Snake whipped around with the speed of a rattlesnake coming out of a coil into an attack. A single, solitary Fiend trotted up to him. It was a cactuar. They weren't quite done with the revenge they had planned on him yet. A momentary setback in the desert wasn't nearly enough to dissuade them from trying even harder by seeking outside help in the matter through bribery and offering living sacrifices of the lesser members of their community for other Fiends higher up in the food chain. A total of twenty Fiends gathered behind the cactuar. Snake's jaw dropped so far off of its hinge that his chin popped. The Haniwa figurine was accompanied by flaming onion pumpkin monsters, weird piñata dragons with hard bodies, one eyed flying bat fuckers, dinosaur critters, a small sand worm, and the stupid green midgets who carried lanterns with them. There were also two other peculiar monsters that didn't seem to fit in with the rest. One was a simple lopsided scarecrow and the other was a dead tree stump with wiry arms and a lonely face. They were all blocking his retreat back toward his traveling companions.

Having strayed so far away from Wakka's ball must have given them an opportunity to attack him. The cactuar wasted no time and began spinning around on the singular leg it somehow managed to keep itself balanced on to initiate the charge. A fearsome lizard creature with a yellow horn gobbled the cactuar up, which was perfectly alright with the cactuar since it would now enjoy bountiful rewards in the afterlife for organizing an effort to murder the sworn enemy of his people. The other Fiends began a heated pursuit of their human prey as he ran away with unparalleled speed brought on by fresh adrenaline. Snake pulled a stun grenade out of his bag, baked it, and lobbed it behind his shoulder. It exploded seconds after leaving his hands and caused many of the Fiends to run into trees, trip over rocks, and devour each other in panic. Unfortunately all that took care of was the first wave and when the stunned Fiends came around they resumed their chase.

"Help!" Snake yelled at the top of his lungs.

The terrain became more unforgivable as he strayed further into the forest. He must have been on a path before since the bushes and ground weren't quite as horrible. These obstacles slowed him down as he ran around blindly in search of assistance. Not even he could deal with so many Fiends at once. Perhaps if they were all together in a base and going about on random patrols he'd have a better chance at taking all of them out by strapping C4's to each of their backs and setting every one of them off at once while he made his escape in one of their helicopters. Ambushes were horrible, but thinking of C4 gave him a good idea. He took out a small brick of C4 and shoved a detonator into the clay. If nothing else the explosion would draw attention to his position.

Snake eventually broke free of the bushes and came upon a lake. Without even a second thought he tossed the brick behind his right shoulder. It landed on a Tonberry riding on the back of a hideous bat-wolf hybrid. Snake set off the C4 just as he dove into the water. The comical explosion effectively killed most of the Fiends chasing after him and set quite a few trees on fire. Snake surfaced and brought around his M4 to take care of any stragglers now that he had the upper hand. He took out five of them in quick succession before Shiva came diving down from the heavens above and began putting out the blazing inferno with snow flurries and freezing whatever Fiends she spotted. An Aeon could only mean that Yuna was near. Snake spun around and spotted a nearly naked Yuna and Tidus watching him from afar. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the predictability of the situation before he returned to taking care of the last remaining nuisances.

The aftermath of the ambush was quite humorous. Several trees were covered in ice and a few Fiends had been permanently preserved. Since Shiva's magic had already killed them they wouldn't be alive if they were ever unthawed. The greatest thing that could ever happen to their remains was their use as ice cubes when some of them slid into the lake. The lantern the Tonberry had been carrying finally fell from the sky into the lake immediately to Snake's right along with the remains of an undigested cactuar. He sighed briskly in relief and swam over to the shore. He and Shiva exchanged a brief nod of respect before she disappeared in a puff of snow. Snake had to catch himself before he began wondering how old the thing was. He double checked to ensure that his bag was waterproof and then turned to face Tidus and Yuna.

"Sorry, kids." Snake said. "They came out of nowhere."

"With as many times as you've helped me, I think I'll never have a right to refuse doing you a favor." Yuna said.

She sighed heavily, looked the other way, and wiped her eyes.

"Especially after I messed up our chance to take out Solidus and Seymour."

Tidus gasped and gathered up his clothing. He then jumped behind a bush and pretended he was no longer there. Yuna took her own clothes and led Snake to a massive tree growing near the lake. He could feel someone watching him. Kimahri, Auron, and Wakka were monitoring them from a distance. Apparently the explosion had caught their attention.

"Could you give me a moment to get decent?" Yuna asked. "I had to bathe to get the perfumes and lotions they slathered me in before the wedding off of my skin."

If that was her excuse then it was the best one Snake thought she could have used to explain herself. Tidus hadn't moved from the bush he had hid himself in. Snake sighed and instinctively reached for a cigarette. He stopped himself short of lighting up when he realized now might not be the best time for it. When Yuna had finished, they both sat down next to each other behind the tree.

"Did Tidus tell you about our plan?" Snake asked.

"Yes. I accept it, but I still hope we can resolve this situation without a fight."

"She killed Auron, Yuna."

"I heard." Yuna said. "That's so tragic."

Yuna paused for a moment so she could have time to put her next sentence together more properly.

"If we run into Solidus again I promise I won't interfere."

Snake sighed. If she became too remorseful he'd have to derail her before she began doubting herself. Even so, this was something she needed to get out.

"What's wrong, Yuna?" Snake asked.

"I'm tired. I never want to have to kill anyone ever again." Yuna replied, fighting back tears. "There was so much hate in me when I fired that gun. It was disgusting. I have never been so enraged in my entire life and I can only hope that I didn't kill any of the pilots in those metal behemoths."

She still had more to lurch out so Snake held his response.

"What are the people going to think of me after all that's happened? We won't be able to continue if they listen to Seymour and even if we could still finish the task at hand, Seymour would be waiting there at the end of the road to get me back."

"To begin with, Seymour is in trouble right now." Snake said immediately after she finished. "Someone like you doesn't snap without a good reason. You've got a lot more people pulling for you then you think."

"Really?" she prompted hopefully.

Her eyes lit up with relief.

"Seymour's not all powerful, Yuna. Even if all of Spira's leaders are in on his little plot they can't sell a story to the public that it won't believe. If what you said at the wedding is taken seriously by anyone then he just might find himself out of power."

"But what if he gets away with everything? Like I said, you know he won't stop pursuing me even after I've defeated Sin."

"I'll deal with him myself if it comes to that." Snake assured her.

"You'll kill him?"

"If I have to so everyone can be safe."

She sighed and looked away from him.

"You must not think too highly of me for passing that duty off on you."

"To kill?"

She nodded.

"Yuna. . ." Snake began.

His elaborate and philosophical sentence left him before he could properly continue. He wanted to downplay the problem as much as he could, but this topic was too heavy for him to sweeten.

"There's nothing good about what I do." Snake said honestly.

"No, that's not. . ."

"I'm just man who's good at what he does. Killing."

Snake was momentarily taken back to his altercation with Meryl in the women's bathroom on Shadow Moses Island. Back then what he said packed a bit more punch, but something had changed in him after that debacle once he started living together with Meryl for a short period of time. Of course, nothing so good in his life could last for too long and when it came time to fight, Snake just let it go.

"I've killed a lot of people, but I never shot anyone who didn't deserve their bullet. At least that's what I tell myself to keep moving. To me it's no longer any different than swatting a fly. I know exactly how you felt when you pulled that trigger and I know exactly how you feel now after doing so and there's only one thing I can say to you."

He looked her dead in the eye.

"An evil man brings death unto himself. He is responsible for his own demise. There's something about wrongfully hurting other people that carries with it the risk of death and sadly that also applies to those who are fighting the good fight. It's as if the framework of life itself wants to erase killing by ensuring that those who do so will also die."

Yuna nodded and appeared to be highly receptive to what he was saying. If only all women were so easily attentive. Seeing her so weak and in this light was bringing back too many memories of Meryl before she began thinking like him. That was primarily what ended their relationship.

"Did you see how they baited the Metal Gear's out?" Snake asked.

"Yes. Cid flew over the city."

"And do you know what their orders were?"

"To shoot it down."

"Can you see my point?"

She nodded.

"If you have to kill again, don't hesitate. If you are right in your own mind then you have justified yourself and nobody can tell you any different. Do you see how that also lends itself quite freely to the other principle I just mentioned?"

"I never would have thought of it that way." Yuna said.

"No, you're a smart girl. It would have come to you eventually."

Yuna smiled.

"You always have advice and you never seem to run into a problem you can't handle. You should really write a book."

"About myself?"

"Yes. There's so much to you that you could share. A person who's lived as you have can offer a lot to others or at the very least a different perspective on life."

He sighed and shook his head.

"Are you trying to say that I'm a hero?"

"Some of the things you do lend themselves to that characteristic."

Hero. Snake was tired of hearing that term applied to him. While it was true that he never intentionally killed someone who he didn't think truly deserved to be cut down so violently, he'd still done some fairly awful things and none of the lives he'd spared would make up for them.

"I've killed men who had families. I once assassinated a corrupt diplomat and accidentally took out his only child in the process in front of his wife because that was the only shot I had at him when I was working underground. I've also killed people who've begged me to let them live. Why? Because I was the good guy. I was the hero. I saved lives by doing what I did. Death will eventually claim my soul for what I've done. Maybe sooner than I think."

He had now positively horrified Yuna and probably needed to bring her down from the state of shock she was in. Thankfully he knew how to do so.

"But there was this one time when I stopped a wounded vet from committing suicide. He'd lost both of his legs to a grenade and his wife left him after he came home like he was. Predictable. Apparently some idiots had the audacity of refusing to let him into a bar with his friends because of the way he looked so the guy wheeled himself to. . ."

Snake swallowed hard at the memory and let the sentence hang. Yuna wouldn't know what railroad tracks were and it'd kill his point if he explained them to her.

"Damn, that was a close one." Snake said. "After I saved him I went out of my way to help the guy financially. I've got too damn much money as it is. I wasn't really good with people back then so I didn't stick around at any point during his recovery except to handpick the people who treated him so he wouldn't get any quacks that wanted to steal all of my money. I can clearly remember the look on his face when he realized that he wanted to live. A month or so before I completely isolated myself because I just couldn't handle my life anymore I got an envelope in the mail from him. He sent me a picture of himself and some women he met. I didn't think she was very pretty, but the two of them looked so well together. He'd gotten pretty good on those cumbersome stilts they gave him. You couldn't even tell he'd lost his legs. He wrote thanks on the back of the picture. Nothing more and nothing less. That was that. Never saw or heard from him again."

Snake cleared his throat to keep his voice stable.

"I was so happy for him, but at the same time I know I'm a monster. See, when you contrast things like that and a woman screaming in terror at the site of her dead family trying to put the pieces of their heads back together, I'm no hero. I just do what I think is right. It's as simple as that. You'll never have to deal with the level of pain I do because you're not a career soldier, but if you're the only one who can take out Seymour, then you're going to have to do it."

"I understand." Yuna said firmly.

She took the USP from her hip to show him that she still had it. Snake grinned slightly as he imagined what Cloud or one of his buddies had to go through in order to retrieve it.

"Save the clip for Seymour. The fewer people you have to shoot that at, the better."

"You're right. Thank you for all of your advice, Snake."

"Anytime."

He stood up before she did and began walking away from her.

"Take some more time to rest if you need to. We'll wait."

As he neared the feisty bisexual bit of shrubbery quite content with having a nearly naked human hiding within it, Snake addressed Tidus without bothering to look at him.

"Don't do anything too terribly stupid." Snake muttered.

Snake stopped when he reached the three other men surveying the scene.

"We probably shouldn't stick around much longer, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Kimahri seen it all before. Will remain on point. Besides, monsters are out and about on the prowl. Surely crazy boy will only resume sticking tongue clear down to hanging lump in Yuna's mouth and nothing more."

"That's the uvula." Snake corrected.

"Point still clear in description." Kimahri replied dismissively. "While we on subject, Auron has distressing news."

"Otacon and Rikku up and vanished." Auron said. "He took a gun with him."

"Maybe they're hiking?" Wakka offered.

"Kimahri pray and pray that the truth. He pray so hard he yawn from losing breath. Last thing we need is four naked people running around as accursed jelly blobs, beasts with the horns, and flying cheap jewelry chase them down."

"That reminds me. I was attacked by another one of those Haniwa figurines again. I think they're out to get me."

"Cactuar's have been known to be quite vindictive." Auron said.

In a tree high above the three men standing atop a thin branch, a cactuar spun out of control in distress. Their target was on to them. It quickly made its way down the tree and headed down a secret path out of the forest where it would regroup with the others and inform them of this distressing development. Hopefully it wouldn't be eaten along the way. Auron took out a battered notebook from his outfit and tossed it at Snake. He flipped the notebook over and recognized it as the one Otacon scribbled in while he was bored. The tattered cover was decorated in old anime stickers so it was pretty much unmistakable to anyone who knew Otacon.

"Your friend is a complete clutz. You'd think he'd guard this journal a little bit better with some of the stuff he wrote in it."

"He said it was a log."

"Well, it's quickly turning into a journal, although with how he is I think it might accidentally become a diary at some point."

The two grizzled gentlemen exchanged a laugh at the younger man's expense. They began walking back to the others with Wakka trailing behind as Kimahri stood poignantly alongside his spear. It was a short walk back to the rest of the group. None of them could hide the fact that they were quite tired after having been up for nearly two whole days. Raiden was sleeping with his eyes open as he sat up against a tree with his rifle resting on his lap. Lulu was grinding some herbs she'd found nearby into a potion, obviously with the intent of adding flavored caffeine to it. Snake figured they could all use a short one hour power nap if they really needed it.

He broke out some of his tastier rations and silently offered whatever else he had to everyone by tossing his bag out into the middle of the small circle they had inadvertently formed as he paged absently through Otacon's notebook. Hal's scientific knowledge was quite diversified. Snake could get a feel for his experience in biology, astrology, physics, and all the other fields quietly governing life from behind the scenes. He stopped reading when he found a super deformed sketch of Rikku running off with his bandana. They easily wasted thirty minutes on nothing by waiting on their other members to return. Snake dove into Otacon's notebook again and read his speculations on potions. Hal wondered if whatever was in the mixtures could be found on Earth. He also lamented Snake's harsh attitude towards magic and mildly criticized him for equating it to voodoo.

Of course, Otacon had to be alluding to FoxDie. He hadn't brought it up in conversation before because he knew Snake didn't like talking about it. There was certainly a good reason for that. The complexity of the virus was such that the only thing they could do was wait on its creator to develop a vaccine and that hadn't been going very well even before her sudden disappearance days before the tanker incident. Philanthropy's limited assets meant that if Snake really wanted to find her he'd have to go looking himself. Being framed didn't help him. The Patriots had to have been involved. She was probably being held hostage somewhere with the sole intent being to keep her from him so that he would eventually die or be forced to do something very critical in exchange for his longevity.

Snake was getting himself really worked up by wondering in complete vain how long he had left before he died. This was why FoxDie remained one of the things he tried not to think about. It distracted him too severally. It shook his core values. It made him question his existence.

"Lulu?" Snake called.

Her head jerked up sharply as she was brought out of her nap by the requirement of her attention.

"Is there anything that can't be cured here in Spira by white magic or potions?"

"There are indeed some ailments that elude even the most skilled healers. Why? Are you hurt?"

"I am. On the inside." Snake said.

"I'm afraid there is nothing in this world that could heal a psychological wound."

"That's not what I meant. There's something in my blood that has disguised itself as a part of my body. Nothing inside of me can tell what it is and at any time it could trigger a heart attack."

"That doesn't sound like a poison to me. Even worse, it's not a curse nor is it a light wound." Lulu said. "Why haven't you mentioned this before?"

"Because I figured it'd be pointless to ask and I didn't want any of you to worry." Snake said.

"You could get Yuna to try some magic on you." Lulu said. "We could also take you to a place I know of where you could receive more intensive healing after we're done with Sin, but I'm not sure. . ."

"If it would do any good." Snake finished for her. "That's fine. Thanks anyway, Lulu."

Snake stood up and armed himself with a gun. A flurry of swear words tried to find their way out of his mouth, but he didn't allow himself to appear so easily bothered. He went stalking off toward where Yuna and Tidus were potentially copulating.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lulu asked.

"To break up the party. We're leaving." Snake replied.

He wasn't about to spend another damn minute waiting around for them to finish picking daisies, making out in the water, rolling around in the grass joined together at the loins, or whatever else stupid teenagers did these days when he had the grim reaper breathing down his neck. Nap time was over and Snake needed to get his mind on something else. Anything else. Shooting the breeze and checking to see which part of Otacon's log counted as a violation against his privacy were not options. He heard Lulu running up behind him and didn't stop to converse with her.

"Don't act like none of us couldn't care less about what you just said." she chided angrily. "I, for one, really do care about your general well being. Will you at least try out my suggestions?"

Snake could have laughed. There wasn't one suggestion he hadn't tried yet. He'd swallowed more herbs and taken more dietary supplements than a hypochondriac could have ever dreamed to ingest and all it got him was too much iron. FoxDie was still in his blood the last time Naomi had a chance to get a sample from him. It hadn't started to multiply quite yet, but when it did the results would be dire.

"I will as soon as we're done with Sin." Snake said. "For now, we're leaving these stupid woods."

"Okay, then." Lulu consented. "I won't tell Yuna beforehand."

Kimahri came into view and met them halfway.

"Wait here." Kimahri requested before heading off into the unknown.

"There you guys are!" Rikku called.

She came trotting up happily to Snake with Otacon right behind her. Both of them looked like they had been toiling in the dirt. Rikku proudly held out a small sack that had several odd peppers inside of it.

"Chocobo's love these. Now we'll be able to catch a few. If we do, our journey across the Calm Lands will go that much faster. Also, I called my father. He can pick up Johnny the moment we get clear of the forest."

"But no parachuting?"

"Look! Peppers!" Rikku said loudly, shoving the bag up further so Snake could get a good look at them.

Snake took one of the vegetables and brought it in for a closer look. It was blue, hideous, and didn't smell like anything. He quickly took a bite out of it. A very sweet texture excited his tongue with uncharacteristic euphoric pleasure given the limited calorie count in the food until the reaping began. What had once tasted vaguely like a small container of sweet and sour sauce suddenly began burning with such intensity that Snake's eyes flooded with tears. While he still had time to taste he picked up a strong hint of cinnamon texture somewhere within the pepper. Snake began coughing hoarsely as he pulled out his canteen. Rikku quickly intervened and stopped him from doing so.

"No, that will make it a lot worse! Trust me, you just want to wait it out."

"Good God!" Snake exclaimed breathlessly. "You could have told me not to eat them!"

"But they taste good, don't they? At least I think so."

He considered her statement for a moment and decided that she was indeed correct. While it burned like nothing he'd ever had before and tasted overwhelmingly sweet and spicy instead of hot and unforgivable, it wasn't quite so bad. His sinuses were clear and he couldn't see anyone due to the tears clouding his vision, but that was alright. An ungodly burn remained in his mouth and throat as the piece he'd bitten off made its way to his stomach.

"Are these rare?" Snake asked.

"Kind of. They are a seasonal vegetable and Chocobo's are attracted to their aroma so it's quite uncommon that there would be a few of them around here."

"Smell? Is it some kind of scent that only they can pick up?"

"No." Rikku said. "You can't smell them?"

"You can?"

"Yeah, they smell like cinnamon, only a lot stronger and with a hint of pineapple added in."

"Great. So that's night vision eyeballs, a steel tongue, and a great nose. Is that all?"

"Not quite. There's still a few more, but it wouldn't be any fun if I told you about them." Rikku said with a wink.

Snake sneered at her. Tidus and Yuna appeared accompanied by Kimahri.

"When will we get a chance to sleep?" Tidus asked.

"Tonight." Snake replied.

"Here." Lulu said, handing him the potion she'd grounded pure caffeine into earlier.

"So now we're going to the Calm Lands, right?" Rikku asked.

"I suppose it's about time someone pointed out the obvious besides myself." Snake said with a nod.

"There's nothing wrong with being absolutely clear on where you intend to go." Rikku said in her defense.

"Kimahri not carrying Jack!" Kimahri said.

"Don't worry about that. Let me borrow your lance again. Jacky boy might need some subtle encouragement." Snake said.

"No!" Kimahri bellowed. He then smiled. "Leave that to Kimahri. Kimahri need good laugh."


	29. Chapter 28 : Dirty Birds

**Chapter 28 : Dirty Birds.**

The group finally emerged from the Macalania Forest a few hours later. That was the last time they would need to venture through them unless everyone unanimously came up with some clause that forbade them from using the airship to go home. Snake walked to the edge of the cliff ahead of him and surveyed the scene. The Calm Lands were flat and seemed to go on for miles. Snowy mountains were in the distance, but other than that there wasn't anything but flat land with craters in a few spots to spice things up a bit. A few Fiends were running around in the distance while a group of people tried to catch them. They were all riding Chocobo's, which was hopefully what they would be doing soon. It was already late in the afternoon. Night would probably sneak up on them by the time they managed to secure a few birds. Snake took a look back at the team. Raiden was even more exhausted than he had been earlier after that absolutely hilarious stunt Kimahri had pulled to wake the man up, which involved poking him mercilessly in the face with the blunt end of his lance until Raiden got on his feet and then chasing him with sharp end for two hundred yards. Nobody else was doing any better except for Johnny, who had probably slept the night before.

They took a path that lead down the cliff and into the Calm Lands. Along the way they passed a few travelers that stopped to speak with Yuna for a little bit. Nothing of significant value was gained out of any of Yuna's social collisions. It was simply rhetoric banter joined together with some insignificant piece of information and topped off with a wish for good luck on her journey. None of them were the slightest bit aware of what had happened in Bevelle quite yet. At the bottom of the path was a sign advertising one of Rin's inns, which was quite a challenging distance ahead.

"Odd." Lulu said. "Rin must have just opened up a spot here."

"That's good for us." Snake said. "We won't have to sleep outside."

"And to think we actually packed for that in the beginning." Wakka said with a sigh. "It'll take us a while to get there."

Snake scoffed.

"It's not like anyone has anything else to do tomorrow." Snake said. "No eight hour shifts for any of us. Just a quest to save the world."

"I say we stay up long enough to get to the inn." Tidus voted. "What's so surprising about Rin opening up a spot here, Lulu?"

"Nothing, really. It's about time that he did. This place is on sacred ground. It's where the high summoners fought Sin. They used such devastating magic that it completely leveled a great deal of the land around here. By doing so they hoped to permanently be rid of Sin, but the cycle continued."

"The road ends here. Nothing has been built beyond this point." Auron said.

Kimahri cleared his throat. Auron turned and adjusted his sunglasses in surprise.

"Pardon me. The Ronso's do have a small village in the mountains."

"In addition to that, there are a few ruins and caves around here." Lulu said. "Treasure hunters have come to see if they can make a profit out of what's left in the temples. Most of them don't come back."

"Except for that Locke guy." Rikku pointed out.

Lulu shrugged indifferently, which made Rikku pout.

"There's supposed to be some additional Aeon's in this region as well." Yuna said.

"Yeah, well we're not here for any of that. No side quests." Snake stated sharply. "Rikku, bring the airship around. It's time for Johnny to go where he is needed."

Johnny sighed as his shoulders sunk in defeat. He didn't bother defending himself as Rikku pulled out a small radio and made a call to her father. There was little he could say to change Solid Snake's mind on the matter. Even so, he was not completely discouraged. War was in his blood. If he truly wanted to be part of their team he would have to prove himself somehow. In the same thought he remembered that saving everyone on their team wasn't enough. Around them, he'd always be that one goofy soldier with the diarrhea problem. Perhaps it was time to join a group of specialized mercenaries and stop selling himself out to larger organizations or PMC's. He was a good soldier, or such was the case in his own mind. Few opportunities presented themselves that gave him a chance to show others just how dangerously accurate he was with rifles and sidearms. He had earned every single banner for marksmanship the army could sew into his service uniform.

His stomach growled loudly. Everyone took a step away from him in fear. Johnny almost panicked as he expected to be met with the uncontrollable urge to rid himself of a few extra ounces. He had hoped Yuna's potion would have permanently cured him, but apparently that was far too much to ask for. A loud gurgle erupted from the flesh of his belly yet again. Even though his stomach was gargling in protest he had not yet entered stage two, which usually immediately followed stage one. Johnny had come to respect the growl as his sixty second warning and tried to be put on patrol by his superiors within a minute of a lavatory. It was not hard to accept that because of his condition he could do the most impressive two hundred meter dash anyone had ever seen.

"Am I going to explode?" Johnny asked, looking at Yuna.

"It would probably be wise to keep up with a daily dosage of that potion I gave you for a week or so."

"Make that a month." Snake interjected.

"Yes. You should drink one a day for the next four weeks. By then your intestinal problem should have passed. In the meantime, I think you'll just be really gassy. I'll make you another potion that should help."

She quickly mixed Johnny another batch of the same medicine she had made for him during Seymour's bachelor party and gave it to him. Johnny made a profane noise and could suddenly accept that they didn't want him around. Raiden pulled out his gas mask for comedic purposes, but the gesture was so extreme and improperly timed that it didn't garner any laughs out of anyone. By keeping it on he only hurt his image more. When the smell hit Snake he took ten steps to the north and pitied Johnny from a distance. Raiden ran up alongside him.

"Check it out." Raiden said. "I'm Psycho Mantis!"

He waved his hands erratically and struck a contorted pose. Snake remained silent even though he could have said quite a few hurtful things. When Raiden realized that he wasn't being funny, he took off the gas mask. It didn't take too long for the airship to arrive. Cid had been asked to remain nearby in case they needed an emergency extraction. Johnny continued to expel a wind of the foulest quality despite his futile efforts to prevent himself from doing so by attempting to hold it in. An odd beam similar to the one that had lifted Snake and his crew into Sin's chest hoisted Johnny aboard the airship. He waved goodbye to his teammates, but only the women returned the friendly gesture after they noticed that none of the men were being nice. No sooner had Johnny set foot inside the ship that it changed course and flew off to wherever Cid intended to hide. Snake watched remorsefully as his hopes for ending the journey sooner quickly disappeared from view. He sighed in disappointment while the rest of the team sighed in relief now that Johnny was gone.

"I hope he finds somewhere on the ship where he can fit in." Rikku said.

"At least he's finally among friends." Otacon added. "You really have to pity a guy who worked under Liquid and Solidus."

"Yeah, boo-hoo." Snake mocked. "It's such a tragedy that he needs us to get his shit together for him. We're done wasting time. Let's catch some of those birds. I assume one of you knows how to?"

Rikku nodded and stepped forward with her bag of sweet peppers, which were an oddity any way they were examined.

"All we have to do is break a pepper in half and one of them is sure to come running. You can only fit one person to one chocobo."

"So we'll need nine birds?" Otacon thought aloud.

"You would make such a great math teacher." Snake said.

Otacon realized that Snake was of course referring to the elevator mishap during Shadow Moses and couldn't think of a witty retort. Snake reached into Rikku's bag and pulled out one of the peppers she had reaped from the earth. He then broke it in half. Rikku had neglected to mention that this quaint plant was similar to an onion in that it produced fumes which mercilessly assaulted whoever was fiddling with it. Snake's nose hairs took in a cinnamon scent strong enough to burn all of them out. The back of his eyeballs felt as though they were on fire with sugary goodness. About twenty yellow dots appeared on the horizon in front of them. In less time than it took for Raiden to play hopscotch it became apparent that a small herd of birds was heading their way. Just before Snake could point out the fact that they seemed to be standing in the middle of a stampede the birds slowed their charge and changed their pace to a trot. A rather large bird approached Snake while the others congregated in a crooked circle behind it. The chocobo in front of Snake looked older and more seasoned than the others, which most likely made it the alpha male of its subordinates. The birds' feathers were a darker gold and it only had one eye. It stood in front of him expectantly. Snake looked back at Rikku for support.

"Drop the pepper so that he can eat it and put your hand on his head before he finishes." Rikku instructed. "If he is willing, he will allow you to ride him. They flap their wings to show their acceptance."

"What if he's not willing?" Snake asked.

"Then we'll have to feed him until he is willing." Rikku replied.

"That's stupid! How many of these peppers do we have? Quick Otacon. Do what you do best. Count!"

"Are you in a bad mood?" Otacon asked.

"Relax, I'm just tired." Snake assured him.

Rikku looked inside her bag and ran a quick inventory of its contents.

"We have twenty five peppers. That should be more than enough to keep nine birds on our side until we get to the base of Mount Gagazet."

"We'll have to climb the mountain?" Raiden asked incredulously.

"It has path." Kimahri said. "Jacky boy welcome to climb Gagazet anyway. It be good for his soul."

"I don't think this breed of chocobo would be suited to the cold." Lulu said.

"Great, another barrier. I wish we could just Game Genie this bullshit." Snake muttered.

The chocobo awaiting food cocked its head to one side and chirped irritably. Snake dropped the two pieces of the pepper he was holding. The bird immediately began to gobble them up. Snake put his hand on the back of its head and tried not to think how its sharp beak could probably tear off his arm if he annoyed it. His other hand slowly found its way to his holstered M1911 to guard against such an outburst. The bird shrugged off Snake's hand once it had finished eating and squawked in an unfulfilled manner. Rikku handed Snake another pepper, which he dropped on the ground again. Snake put his hand on the birds head as it had seconds. A quick snap at his fingers ensured that there would no longer be a possibility of trust between them and once it had finished it gluttonously demanded yet another pepper by squawking in a demanding tone.

"That's all you get, fatty." Snake said.

He took another pepper from Rikku and approached a different bird that he hoped would have a more even temperament. Before he could feed the new bird the alpha male lunged toward Snake's bag and tore through it in search of food. The bag came loose from around his waist and fell to the soil where the bird ravaged through it with reckless abandonment. Snake turned around just in time to watch the inconsiderate bird swallow a carton of the cigarettes he had stolen from the Guado hotel. At first Snake thought it was a dumb bird that didn't know what it was eating until it devoured two more cartons in an obese fit. The animal then moved on to his rations and only stopped its feast when it came across some of his ammunition, which it spit out in offense. It squawked again, still unsatisfied and kicked Snake's bag back over to him.

Snake knelt down and surveyed the damage. Three cartons of cigarettes were still intact, but everything else was a horrid mess. Everything was out of order and would take at least thirty minutes to properly sort. He pulled out his M1911 and shot the bird in the head without a second thought. Kimahri started laughing. It remained upright longer than it should have after its brains had scattered outwards. When its body finally collapsed in on itself vertically, which was another abnormality, one of the other birds pecked at it for a second before concluding that the leader of their pack was indeed dead. Each and every bird jumped in unrestrained joy and fluttered their wings wildly. Snake nodded in approval and holstered his M1911. He dropped the pepper he still had in front of one the birds and carried out the rest of Rikku's instructions. The bird responded favorably and seemed to beckon Snake to hop on its back, which he did with limited success on his first few tries.

Once properly saddled he attempted to direct it by shifting his hips. The bird turned in accordance with the motions it felt its rider perform. He then kicked it gently against its sides. The bird walked forward. In a way, it was just like riding a horse bareback. While Snake got the hang of it, Rikku obtained a bird for herself. Nobody bothered saying anything about the chocobo Snake had killed. There was really nothing any of them could say. They had become quite familiar with Snake's mannerisms and the bird almost deserved what it had gotten, especially after it became apparent that some of the chocobo's had been injured by another chocobo.

Initially, Kimahri was fearful that he would not be able to ride one of the chocobo's. Thankfully there was one out of the group that was strong enough to support him. Once they had all found a bird the remaining lot cleared out together and headed toward a destination they only knew of.

"Okay. How do we make them go fast?" Snake asked. "But before that, did someone already train these birds to ride?"

"No, they're just really smart." Rikku answered. "You can hop on almost any chocobo and hitch a ride so long as they are okay with it."

"It probably has something to do with evolution." Otacon added.

"Possibly. You make them go fast by leaning forward and knocking their sides three times. Get a good grip on their feathers before doing so. Don't worry about hurting the bird by pulling out its feathers, either. It's actually fairly hard to pull out a chocobo's feathers."

"Alright. Double time, buddy." Snake said.

Snake leaned forward, grabbed a handful of feathers, and clicked the chocobo's sides three times. It took off in a jog that gradually built into an all out charge. The birds' head stooped forward to allow for a more aerodynamic rush. It moved amazingly fast once it got going. Wind sailed past Snake at a speed that made it whistle in his ears. He hunched over the bird a little more just to be sure he didn't fall off because he'd probably break a few bones if he did. A few Fiends tried chasing them, but none could match the chocobo's speed. The flat scenery did little to add any variety to their ride. It quickly became apparent that this was all there was and would be to the Calm Lands. Snake felt slightly vulnerable being so out in the open and exposed. He was used to having somewhere to hide. When the last inch of sunlight dissipated leaving them bathed in darkness he felt a little better. They were treated to a great view of the night sky as their birds pressed on without tiring. If this was how they paced themselves, Snake really wanted to see how fast they could truly run.

Their passage through the Calm Lands was so boring that Snake had to catch himself before he nodded off several times. It would have helped if they could speak with one another without shouting, but the consensus of the group was that they were in a hurry so nobody bothered to slow down. Snake kept waiting for the inevitable scream that would come as Raiden fell from his bird. It never came. In just under three hours they spotted Rin's inn. There was still quite a lot of ground to cover before they reached Mount Gagazet. The inn was basically out in the open with a few trees surrounding the establishment for good measure. There was a small pen where they could store their chocobo's for an extra fee. A few were already running around inside their confinement quite contentedly. One was gold, another happened to be red, and still another was blue in color. The fact that they were properly fed meant that the attraction of wild chocobo's was inevitable. To capitalize on this, the inn rented chocobo's to any treasure hunters, explorers, or whoever else had business out here. A few Al-Bhed's guarded the perimeter with their old rifles ready to dispatch any Fiend that got too close. It was quite a relief to see more of Rikku's people still alive.

Once inside, they were well received in the lobby. Rikku did most of the talking and discovered that word had spread as quickly as it could have concerning the loss of Home. While they continued to exchange pleasantries in Al-Bhed, Snake found a quirky pamphlet he hadn't seen before at any of the other inns and sat down in a chair. Inside he found a list of all the things they could possibly do in the Calm Lands. There was a spider cave a few miles to their north, an ancient temple tucked away even further than that, a peculiar wrecked ship on the shore a good drop from a cliff that was said to be haunted, and other dangerous ways to be distracted. Paging through it further he discovered that there were even things still left to be explored in the Thunder Plains and other areas they had been through. A map of Spira was on the back with a list of all the inn's marked off by squares. This reminded him just how small Spira was when sized up against the endless freshwater ocean that surrounded it. He pocketed the pamphlet out of interest.

Snake found it somewhat impractical to have placed the inn so far from where the Calm Lands began. This must have been a central hub for whatever oddities could be found nearby. It made a lot more sense after he thought about it like that. Yuna paid for all of their rooms. Snake didn't waste any time in the lobby and immediately headed off towards a chamber to claim. He hung up the do not disturb sign before he even entered his temporary lair. The design of their rooms did not change too drastically from inn to inn. This made them a lot like any major hotel chain on Earth. Even so, there was plenty of stuff to mess around with that Snake didn't usually bother with such as candles, massage stones, a Bonsai bush, and other useless aesthetic decorations. He barely managed the navy shower he gave himself as fatigue continued to set in. Snake was indeed getting old. He heard Rikku mention something about a quick diner from behind the door as he made a beeline for the bed as if in a trance. Snake set up his usual nighttime defense and fell asleep the moment he finished.

**X**

A few hours later, Snake awoke, fully alert. It was unusual to be so full of energy when he didn't need to be. This, like many other things, was tied to his sixth sense. Karma was generous to him. Something was up. He retrieved his M-9 from the pillow he had stuffed it under and accidentally pulled out a rubber in the process. At least the Al-Bhed thought ahead. Snake then gathered up his mystical bag and proceeded silently to the door. The very second he approached it he heard someone walking around outside. It could have been a bounty hunter. Snake quickly dismissed that notion. Whoever was in the hallways was wearing heavy boots not well suited to sneaking. Even so, he still felt the need to do some investigating. He wouldn't be able to sleep until all was well in his mind. The person in the hallway entered a room. Snake darted out and was able to spot which one the mystery figure had gone into. He hoped it was Otacon. If anyone was going to catch him while he was doing a sweep, it would be best if it were him. Having lived with Snake for a little while, Hal was no stranger to this.

Snake quietly stalked through the hall and was thankful that whoever had gone into the room hadn't closed the door all the way.

"You're still awake at this hour?" Cloud asked.

"The dead don't sleep." Auron replied.

Secrets were wonderful things to spy on. A classy inn was the perfect place to indulge in one.

"I have what you asked me to get." Cloud announced.

"Did anyone see you come in?"

"No, but that's not counting Snake."

Snake could feel them tighten up even from where he was standing. There was a very audible exchange of something between the two men.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that trouble to get this for me."

"Don't worry about it." Cloud said. "I've had my fair share of fetch quests."

"Allow me to reward you with this."

Another exchange occurred, this one not quite as audible. It didn't sound like money. Snake knew better than to wonder what was going on. In fact, it was probably a bad thing that his senses had led him to this. Completely finished with eavesdropping, Snake headed out into the lobby and took a good look around. Everything was in order. He stepped outside for a moment and spotted six machina's guarding the chocobo's and the perimeter. Four were Viper droids. The other two weren't quite as hi-tech. They examined him for a moment before concluding that he was no threat. Snake pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up as he continued his stroll at a more relaxed pace. An extra golden chocobo was in the pen. The others were fast asleep. This was obviously what Cloud had ridden in on.

He stood beside the entrance and had another smoke bathed in the glow of the lanterns still burning in case a late visitor stopped by. It didn't take Cloud too long to step back outside. He had no trouble spotting Snake and by his posture Snake figured Cloud knew that he had been awake earlier. That would not be a topic of their imminent conversation with one another and Snake knew better than to press the issue. Whatever had happened would probably benefit their quest.

"Let's skip to the point since I'm in a hurry. Seymour is gone. Ocelot and Solidus have also disappeared."

"And the Tengu army?"

"Still in Bevelle. Your three enemies are now acting alone. That creepy Russian has me worried."

"Ocelot?"

"Yes. How big of a problem is it if he came to Spira by using the Stargate?" Cloud asked.

"Let's see. SGC runs that program, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"Well, it would mean that he's infiltrated SGC on some sort of assignment or they had him shipped here by the NID. If you ask me, I think somebody's trying to get rid of him."

"I figured it would only be a matter of time before that shadow government took interest in the Stargates. It might not be safe for you to go home that way."

"The Patriots wouldn't send an armed militia after someone like me. They've already killed me, in a sense."

"FoxDie?"

Snake rubbed his chest absently.

"Yeah. I'm going to have Yuna or some healers take a look at it once all this is finished. Maybe I'll never catch a cold again."

Cloud didn't say anything, but it was obvious that they held the same attitude toward how well magic would do against it.

"So you're going to go guard that Stargate?" Snake asked, changing the subject.

"I'll also send my own group back to Midgar. I'm done here. All that's left is to get you home. Have you ever met a man by the name of Daniel Jackson?"

"Otacon has mentioned him before a few times." Snake said. "They're online buddies. They took me to an anime convention in Baltimore once."

Snake winced at the memory.

"Hal's crush before Rikku was Etna from Disgaea." Snake said. "He asked me to snag some Taiwanese cosplayer for him that was posing as her. I've never seen a man cry that much in my life."

"So you have met Jackson, then?" Cloud asked, to which Snake nodded. "That's good because he's likely the person you're going to see if the Stargate is an option. I wonder how Ocelot slipped passed him."

"They never talked about their personal lives." Snake said. "Jackson would have no way of knowing who Ocelot really was."

"I see. I suppose this means there won't be any awkward introductions. The Stargate is beneath the blitzball stadium. Auron will be able to show you where it is. Until we meet again, Solid Snake."

After an informal salute, Cloud was off. He hopped atop his golden chocobo and left the premises. Another individual stepped out of the inn before Snake could return inside. Auron gave Snake a nod and adjusted his sunglasses before speaking.

"I've got some more bad news." Auron said.

"Is it awful?"

"Cataclysmic depending on your viewpoint." Auron said. "Have you given thought to what happens after Sin is defeated?"

"You get sent?"

"That's a part of it. Perhaps I was never too specific about what Sin actually is. Rikku says Otacaon said you were sent here by a Fayth. Did that Fayth not elaborate?"

"It was a bit too busy being self-centered, I'm afraid."

"Then allow me to explain. Tidus is from an alternate Zanarkand. The real Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago by a massive war with Bevelle. Yevon, our primary concern, knew that Zanarkand would not win the war. At his order many of the citizens of Zanarkand sacrificed their lives to become Fayth's. With their power he created a dream Zanarkand. Tidus and his father Jecht are merely dreams of those original Fayth's even though they are flesh and blood not unlike you and me. The real Zanarkand would fall, but Dream Zanarkand would remain far removed from the mainland."

"And to protect Dream Zanarkand and keep the technology of Spira from reaching the same level it did back then, he created Sin." Snake said.

"That's correct. But something went wrong. Yevon, who was now a Fayth, lost his mind and began operating out of instinct based on what he had intended Sin to be. Yevon's design of Sin was so intricate that it keeps itself alive by means of the Final Summoning. As you know, the summoner must sacrifice the life of a Guardian they are close to. That unlucky person becomes the Final Aeon. It is perceived that this is the only way to destroy Sin, which is a misconception because Yevon still exists at Sin's core. Once Sin is perceivably destroyed the person who was the Final Aeon becomes the next Sin because Yevon himself possess' the Final Aeon. Do you remember Lady Yunalesca from Seymour's horrid dinner party?"

Snake nodded.

"She created the religion that Spira so covets as a means of looking down upon technology and keeping the location of Dream Zanarkand a secret. Yunalesca also was the first person to defeat Sin and her methods served as an example to all, effectively perfecting Yevon's original intentions."

"And that's why we're going to go beat her up?" Snake asked.

"She's an unsent, much like many in Spira. I intend to be sure she's not around after Sin is defeated."

"Speaking of that, I assume that not only will the Yevon religion be destroyed, but everyone who was a part of Dream Zanarkand will disappear once our quest is complete, right?"

Auron nodded grimly.

"I won't be around to help Yuna through that." Auron said. "She looks up to you, Snake. Like a father, almost. If you could. . ."

He was unable to finish. Snake could tell that Auron hated the thought of not being able to truly complete the mission that had been entrusted to him by Braska. There was also a strong hint of sadness in his posture that showed how much he cared for Yuna.

"Leave it to me, Auron. Does Tidus know about this?"

"He will as we near Zanarkand. The Fayth's who enable the existence of Dream Zanarkand are right outside the ruins. I'm positive they will call out to him. Yuna is also unaware of what will happen."

Their separation would not be pretty. The two had become a couple purely by circumstance. While they were quite personal with one another, neither knew what the other was truly like outside of the journey together. It was easy to get caught up in relationships like that. The one Snake had shared with Meryl was vaguely similar. Still, Snake gave Tidus and Yuna a little more credit than that. They would probably get along rather well after their common goal was accomplished, but it seemed as though that was not going to happen. Snake didn't think there was anything he could say to her to make that reality more pleasant. Perhaps just being there for her would suffice, but Yuna would inevitably wonder what might have been if not for the peculiar string defeating Sin had attached to it.

"Not to change the subject, but I do have one question if you're in the mood to be telling me so much about stuff I can't figure out on my own. How did Sin jump to Earth and why did the Fayth pick me?"

"I would guess so that Yevon would not be limited to Spira. Jecht must have figured out how to use it. He's unlike any other Sin that has been since. Those who have become Sin in the past have not been able to restrain themselves so gracefully. I'm not sure why Jecht had you taken here. Perhaps it was to be absolutely certain Yuna would complete the pilgrimage successfully. Think about what you've done in your life. If a tank the size of a church, several ambushes, and an evil brother can't kill you, what can?"

"A stupid virus or the cons of early cloning. Whichever comes first." Snake answered. "I'm heading back to bed."

"Good idea. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Auron lingered outside for a moment while Snake went inside. When he was sure that he was alone he pulled out the item that Cloud had given to him. He could feel its power calling to him. Auron almost couldn't believe that the legends were true. With this magnificent weapon the odds would be made even. Yunalesca and Sin were no pushovers. If anyone got careless, they would very likely die. Auron put the weapon away and would not take it out again until he absolutely had to use it. Should the enormity of its secrecy be compromised, they would not be leaving Zanarkand alive.


	30. Chapter 29 : Loose Ends

**Chapter 29 : Loose Ends.**

The trip through the Calm Lands took longer than expected. Snake knew they were getting closer when they reached a small bridge that spanned a gorge packed in beside two large hills. It was the only change in scenery they'd had since Rin's inn. Snake spotted a huge hole in the decline of land on his way across the bridge and thought nothing of it. Apparently they were higher above sea level then they thought because the drop was quite daunting. Seconds after crossing the expanse their chocobo's outright refused to go any farther. Distraught, the team collectively decided to abandon them and travel the rest of the way on foot. Their temporary companions would soon regret this decision on their way home when they found themselves ambushed by members of the spider cave, who all happened to be spiders. There was one scorpion, but nobody said anything. Since the majority of the inhabitants of the cave were spiders those who prospected the area in search of fortune usually referred to it literally based on mostly what came out of it. Nobody had ever seen the scorpion as it was shy and usually didn't show itself. The predatory arachnids poured out of the hole in the cliff face Snake had disregarded. None of the chocobo's stood a chance. During the massacre the more intelligent birds could not help but realize that it was no fun freezing in the cold, but it was less fun getting bodily fluids sucked out by a black widow spider ten times the size of a bread box.

Miles away from the humorous disaster, Team Yuna found their ascension up Mount Gagazet an uncomfortable one. The path was tightly packed in on either side by the part of the mountain still in tune with the Calm Land's climate. Snake was taking note of how nothing grew along their path when the cold hit him. It was a sudden, violent, unexpected assault on all of his senses. Since they were already familiar with how freely weather patterns could change in Spira nobody complained. Snake could only think to smile because he'd switched into his snow camo earlier. Rikku, Yuna, and Lulu kept looking at him when they thought he wouldn't notice. It wasn't even Snake's favorite pattern. Furthermore, it was not the one he'd wear on the streets if he intended to pick women up. That honor was for splinter or urban tiger, but Snake rarely wore a complete set of camo when he was pretending to be a civilian.

The route they were taking would lead them through the chillier parts of the geographical upheaval. Lulu generated a barrier of warmth everyone took turns being comforted by. Without this they would have been in quite a precarious situation even with the winter clothes they had dug out to wear again. Kimahri was the only person doing well in their current environment except for the fact that he appeared to be greatly nervous. After all, he had been exiled from Gagazet some years earlier over circumstances he never specified. Nobody said anything about it. Eventually they broke free of the path upward and walked out into a vast expanse of inhabited land covered in snow. The Ronso's, who were Kimahri's people, lived in impressively constructed wooden cabins. A few of them were out and about, but this wasn't rush hour.

Snake found himself severally disappointed with the size of their village. He expected a much more livelier place. At least the buildings didn't all look alike. He already had his eye on what he thought was the bar. No stacks of wood were outside any of the structures and none of them had chimneys. Snake took a look back at Kimahri. He didn't seem cold at all while Otacon and Rikku were desperately trying to merge into each others bodies. Wakka hung onto Lulu as if his life depended on it. Island blood didn't mix well with the cold. The snow beneath them was padded down, not cleared away. Despite that, nobody slipped.

"We move fast before word spreads that Kimahri has returned." Kimahri suddenly urged.

"Among all of the thirty people here?" Snake asked.

"Mount Gagazet fool Snake. Other settlements nearby. Ronso number four hundred at least."

"Then how come it's only going to take a day to get to the other side?" Raiden asked.

"While it big, it not wide." Kimahri explained. "Spira odd like that. Kimahri blames Yevon."

Two Ronso's stepped out of the building Snake decided was their tavern as they walked through the picturesque village at a brisk pace lead by Kimahri, who was restraining himself from running. The pair was a lot taller and more muscular than he was. One dressed in blue. The other dressed in red. They were already stupid in Snake's book and they looked absolutely ridiculous with their ugly horns sharpened to a point suitable for gutting someone. It didn't take long for them to spot Kimahri and the others.

"Kimahri!" the blue one roared.

Kimahri's shoulders jerked in surprise and then sunk as if he were being greatly pestered. The two charged towards him. Raiden face planted into the snow. Team Yuna geared up for an impending attack, but Kimahri held out his arm to halt them and shook his head.

"This Kimahri's problem. Kimahri deal with it. Should take fifth teen to twenty minutes. Probably."

"Yenke told Kimahri never to return!" the red one roared.

Since Ronso's referred to themselves in the third person, everyone pinned the tiger in red as Yenke.

"Biran also told Kimahri never to return!"

Their limited English eliminated any need for introductions.

"Kimahri only here to help Yuna pass." he explained.

"All may pass except for Kimahri." Biran said.

"It already been long day. Stand aside before Kimahri whup your ass proper." Kimahri threatened.

Biran and Yenke had a good laugh at that one. Kimahri's temper was growing incredibly short.

"Kimahri is still headstrong, but he probably has to be to compensate for being so little!" Yenke mocked. "Yenke remember that day Kimahri branded loser and outcast so clearly he could dictate it as lecture. In fact. . ."

"Look, we in hurry. We fight now so I may pass as well?" Kimahri demanded.

Kimahri cracked his knuckles. The two other Ronso's nodded with grins on their faces that didn't betray their urge to tear Kimahri apart.

"No magic. No weapons. Hand to hand." Biran said. "Biran take Kimahri's spear this time if he not admit to loss! Spear probably better than horn when it comes to refining culinary power!"

"You cook with Kimahri's horn?" Kimahri asked.

"On occasion. It add flavor to Ronso Stew." Biran replied.

"Biran is sick Ronso." Kimahri said.

Lulu sat down in the snow and melted a circle wide enough for Team Yuna to sit in while Kimahri took care of his emotional baggage. Auron passed his flask of wine around and Snake began eating an MRE. Nobody could be too sure how this fight would end. Kimahri would need to rely on speed and technique to stand up to his physically stronger superiors. Other Ronso's were drawn out of their shelters just in time to watch the start of the fight. Biran would feel the blow to his ribs for weeks and if Snake wasn't mistaken at least two of them had cracked. A quick dodge that merged into an uppercut took Yenke out. Something shattered. He didn't get back up. In less than twenty moves he had his two opponents on the ground. It was over so fast that Snake hadn't even finished half of his delectable cinnamon roll.

Kimahri knelt down over Biran and grabbed his horn. Biran was in no condition to protest. Yuna gasped and stood up, but Tidus yanked her back down.

"This is humility." Kimahri said.

He shook Biran by the horn as if he intended to break it in half to drive his point home.

"Broken horn has freed Kimahri. There are more important things to life than size of horn. If Ronso reject Kimahri for such petty reasons, Kimahri glad to be exiled! However, Kimahri will at least lead Yuna through the mountain."

Kimahri let go of Biran's horn and nudged Yenke with his foot. Yenke didn't move. Kimahri turned his back on both of them and resumed his course to the edge of the village.

"Kimahri. . ." Biran groaned. "Biran. . .was wrong. . ."

"So this is what it takes for Biran to realize that? You are not worth a jar of Kimahri's chest hair. Team Yuna, we go." Kimahri declared.

The Ronso's who had witnessed Kimahri's glorious victory did not cheer him on. Instead, they bowed solemnly in his direction. This was just as well since Kimahri wasn't eager to flaunt his newfound acceptance. Snake devoured the rest of his cinnamon roll and was just finishing up when he noticed someone else enter the village from the same path they had taken. He pulled his M4 out so fast that three other guns and a grenade spilled out of his bag. The sound of gunfire caught everyone's attention rather well. Seymour had returned and this time he was not in a physical body. Pyreflies flowed around an outline fainter than ever as he floated towards them. Snake's bullets passed right through him. Seymour didn't look quite as elegant anymore. He was completely naked and his ridiculous hair was no longer styled with whatever gravity defying gel he had relied on earlier.

Yuna took out her staff and began doing her sending dance. Seymour grinned widely and narrowed his eyes. He made an obvious glance toward the sky that everyone saw. Auron's sunglasses fell off when he noticed the mechanical demon floating above them. He quickly crouched down and retrieved them while the machine drew nearer. It was shaped like a pill, tan in color, half the size of an airship, and seemed absolutely impenetrable. The means by which it was able to fly were not evident in its exterior. Regardless of how it remained in the air it made virtually no sound except for a gentle hum. Upon reaching its predesignated target a section near its head slid open and revealed a white canon. A red laser beam traced through the village, cutting across each and every home on one side of the settlement. Another beam perfectly encircled those that Seymour had business with.

"Get down!" Auron yelled, tackling Yuna to shield her.

Team Yuna ducked into the snow for cover. In an instant every line that the mech had traced into the snow erupted into a huge yellow flame accompanied by white smoke with a devilishly distinct scent. Little chunks of some chemical compound also fell to the ground around them. Snake recognized the smell immediately. Phosphorus. A chemical that burned things entirely into ash and smelled exactly like garlic. He'd seen what it could do to people. Memories of trying to aid a comrade of his who had been near the explosion of a phosphorus grenade suddenly resurfaced after years of repression. It was like looking directly into hell. The pained roars of Ronso's who had been in the way broke through the sound of the raging fire that burned and burned. Houses were demolished and the snow was easily melted under the heat. The soil beneath was scorched and severally damaged. Snake hesitantly stood back up, completely enraged.

"Seymour!" Snake demanded. "What the hell is that thing?"

"I should have expected my return to be overshadowed by its arrival." Seymour said.

His voice sounded different. This was not the Seymour they knew. Something inside of him had changed.

"That, Solid Snake, is the priesthoods dirty little secret." Seymour explained. "An object we found buried in the desert many years ago, completely forgotten. Our appointed engineers blessed with the permission to work with machina slaved over it endlessly until its completion, which was coincidentally very recently. Don't you just love coincidences? Karma? Luck?"

"Fuck you! What the hell is it?" Snake shouted.

"Why, it's something that could only be described as a Metal Gear. Shouldn't that be obvious to you?"

"What?"

"To specify for pure clarity, it's Metal Gear Spira. Your little spy Cloud assumed that the last Metal Gear, the only one you couldn't find or get rid of, was one of those deplorable Rex models. Not so!"

"You're loving every minute of your Sephiroth moment, aren't you?"

"Perhaps. You might enjoy knowing that most of the information on Solidus' little disc contributed greatly to some of its finer features. Yevon had this as its ace in the hole from the very beginning. They've been trying to develop a weapon capable of killing Sin and subjugating the people for years now. Sin usually attacks Bevelle first and foremost, but this Sin is quite special as I'm lead to understand."

"So the technology in Spira was advanced enough to make a Metal Gear by itself after all." Snake thought aloud.

"That is correct. How do you think we made all of those Metal Gear's so quickly?" Seymour asked. "Because just like the Al-Bhed, we also horde that which we are incapable of understanding. I'm not sure what came before Sin, but whatever did left a lot behind. In any case, it doesn't look like I'll be able to accomplish my original goal so with this wonderful machine I'm going to kill as many people as I can! Even after it's too late for me to savor the destruction of this pitiful continent, Metal Gear will continue to level every major population center so that when Sin finally gets around to doing what it's supposed to do there will be nothing left."

"Too late for you?" Raiden asked.

Seymour paused a moment and looked up at Metal Gear Spira again, which caused everyone to do the same. A section near the bottom opened up and Fiends began to pour out of it.

"I'm turning into a Fiend. I can no longer resist the change."

"But you held on long enough to visit us first." Raiden said. "How touching."

"Yes, but this is where our stories finally end. You will all die here. Farewell!"

Seymour doubled over on his hands and knees, but they could no longer afford to pay any attention to him. Fiends jumped through the fire by the dozens. Lulu managed to put up a front that killed many of the weaker monsters and wounded those who persevered. It had long since been established that she was their strongest member, but she would only last so long. The flames around them were still burning too intensely for them to escape the arena. On the other side of the barrier the Ronso who had survived were taking up their weapons and joining their fight. Although Team Yuna couldn't see this, their frenzied roars were enough to give that impression. Snake could only describe their offense within the ring as a haphazard mess. There was no order. They killed what they could with little regard to strategy. An ice wolf leaped on top of Raiden, knocking the wind out of him and crushing his chest. Snake opened up its frozen brains all over Raiden's body with a full clip of his M4. Yuna rushed over and began healing him. A creature shaped like a blue ball with the face of a bird saw this as an opportunity to sweep down and take a bite out of her, but Tidus intervened at the last possible second and cut it in half with his sword.

Auron booted a few smaller Fiends until they finally stopping coming back at him and then caught another one of the wolf creatures before it could sneak up behind him. Lulu let all of her dolls loose. They attached themselves to any monster they could and began dishing out whatever status ailment had been stitched into them. Some Fiends succumbed to poison, others erupted into flames, a few froze solid or turned to stone, and several died just looking at the stuffed animals. Another barrage of Fiends poured out of the Metal Gear. Wakka knocked over Fiends with his ball and displayed his usual uncanny athletic abilities in dodging Fiends while his weapon was gone. Kimahri was in such a rage that he used his bare hands to kill the Fiends who had invaded his village. Apparently he still had feelings for his homeland. Nothing said he loved the mountain more than tearing off a zombie grizzly bears' head and beating an elemental fire lion to death with its skull.

Tougher Fiends began to arrive. Rikku was able to penetrate any and all skin her claw came across, making her useful in a fight for once. Whatever poison she had coated the weapon with back in Home's armory instantly infected the Fiends with a fast moving necrosis that rotted them down to brown bones. Raiden took to using his sword and was doing pretty well until a stone golem broke it. His devastation was so great he could do nothing but look at the shattered blade while the golem prepared to crush him. Tidus and Auron slammed into the creature to knock it down before it could turn Raiden into jelly. Rikku tossed a grenade at its face, which it caught and observed with great curiosity until its death. Otacon ran around in circles helping where he could with well placed shots.

With some difficult and a great degree of luck they managed to clear the waves without anyone getting injured, although Otacon was severally dizzy. Metal Gear Spira remained where it was in the sky. This was all merely a distraction. It gave Seymour the time he needed to morph, but more importantly it wore his opponents out. He was no longer visible and was nothing more than a pile of pyreflies on the ground. They all vaguely hoped he had made a fatal error somewhere and wouldn't be coming back. In the amount of time it took to blink, a new threat stood in their way. Team Yuna took a collective step backward in surprise at the speed with which Seymour had transformed. They had expected Seymour's embodiment as a Fiend to reflect his soul. In a way, it did. Still, for someone so full of hate his reincarnation was rather tame and perhaps almost too pure.

A humanoid figure with skin the color and texture of a charcoal briquette towered above them. It was at least nine feet tall. The Fiend's eyes were pure red slits without irises. It lacked a mouth, a nose, and a clear means to reproduce. Nothing about Seymour's form screamed pure danger. His hands, while abnormally large, did not end in claws sufficiently sharp enough to render their bodies into mangled fleshy bits. Appearances were deceptive and while Snake was in the habit of degrading Aeons based on what they looked like he took more care in assessing Seymour. He fired a short, three round burst at Seymour. The bullets bounced off his chest and smoldered slightly in the melting snow. Seymour's head tilted downward slightly.

"Well, shit." Snake muttered.

A dull thud accompanied the formation of an energy wave that lifted Snake off his feet and threw him a substantial distance away from Team Yuna.

"It's psychic!" Otacon declared.

Tidus hesitated for a moment and then charged Seymour's new form alongside Rikku. Their battles cries were more out of fear than courage, but they knew something had to be done in order to protect Yuna. Seymour seized Tidus' sword as he swung it to strike him and let Rikku's claw slide clean off of his body with a sharp screech. He then grabbed both of his assailants by their throats and tossed them behind his back. With that finished, Seymour still made no advances towards them, instead preferring that they humiliate themselves by coming at him and failing massively. Wakka threw his beach ball at Seymour who caught it and threw it right back at him with such force that it knocked him back when he tried to block it.

"Yuna, summon something!" Raiden urged.

With a few taps and a twirl, Bahamut came raging down from the sky right above Metal Gear. It attached itself to the contraption and began hurtling towards the earth where Seymour was standing. Its intent was clear, but before it could carry out its heroic deed Bahamut suddenly reared its head upward and shrieked in pain. Electricity coursed throughout Metal Gear Spira's exterior, ensuring that boarding it in any way would be difficult without protection. Bahamut had to let go. Metal Gear Spira regained its balance and reared around sharply to face the blue dragon. In its current position it was not too far from the ground. A new canon revealed itself directly beneath the one that fired phosphorus. It charged quickly and blew a luminescent hole right through Bahamut's chest.

This was the exact same beam the Aeons had been so fond of using to totally annihilate their enemies. Bahamut's body turned grey and exploded into tiny pieces that resembled shards of glass, which faded into nothing before they hit the ground. Yuna's eye twitched and she groaned in disapproval. They were getting nowhere fast. Their situation called for drastic measures. Another powerful spell would have to be used, but Ultima was out of the question. Against something like Seymour was now, it would have little to no effect. Auron put his hand inside of his peculiar outfit and wrapped it around what he hoped he would not have to show. Yuna faced Seymour and equipped her staff. After taking a deep breath to steady herself mentally, she began walking towards him.

She was the only one who could save them now.

"Yuna!" Lulu called. "What are you doing?"

She did not answer and kept marching forward. A white light with blue shades near the edges began encircling the staff. Yuna sensed a protective barrier around Seymour, further proof that he loved playing dirty and did not intend for anyone but himself to come out of this quarrel alive. With a quick swing of her staff, Yuna dispelled the protective shield Seymour had placed around himself during her approach. He elicited his first gasp of surprise, which Yuna saw as an advantage as she charged him.

"Oh, I see." Auron mused calmly. "Holy. I thought that was what she had in mind."

"Do what now?" Rikku asked.

"Holy is the Ultima of white magic." Lulu said. "But Yuna has never been able to use it correctly!"

Yuna swung her staff at Seymour, who dodged it. She silently cursed herself as the immense exhaustion began to take hold. At this rate it would be hard to heal Snake if he had been seriously injured by Seymour's attack. Yuna took another swing at him that she turned into a trick of direction, nearly cracking Seymour upside his skull. He was obviously hoping to wear her out. Yuna lunged again and put herself right next to Seymour and completely open to an attack until she brought the other end around and swatted his side. Holy jumped all over the point of impact and began pulling apart at his skin until it made a hole big enough to seep inside. Seymour grabbed at the tiny little beads of white and blue, but each time he did more of the spell attached itself to his fingers.

Holy attacked his right leg first. Each vein inside flared up with the eerie light, disintegrating every tissue it came across. Seymour collapsed on his hands and knees. Someone tapped at his shoulder. He turned around just in time to get hit across the face with Rikku's claw. The cut ran deep. Necrotizing fasciitis took hold of Seymour's face. He fell on his back and covered the burning wound, crying out in pain.

"Hey, we can hurt him now!" Rikku said.

She then began to kick him in the side while he was down before he could start healing himself. Raiden and Wakka quickly joined in. Soon all of Team Yuna except for Snake had come together to give Seymour a slow death by stomping on him until he wouldn't move anymore. Auron booted Seymour's head back to the earth whenever it rose even an inch off of the ground. Skin cracked. Bones shattered. Blood flowed freely. Killing Seymour in this manner allowed everyone to release their pent up rage against him. Yuna finally shoved her staff through his heart, which caused a brilliant white light to spew forth from it. Seymour was completely consumed by Holy. He wriggled about desperately in the snow, trying to break free.

"I will never be just a memory!" Seymour declared cryptically in a disembodied voice.

Yuna pushed the staff in deeper and Seymour exploded into a mist of faint pyreflies. They drifted upward pitifully as if on their last legs and eventually faded into nothing.

"Is he dead?" Raiden asked.

"Yes. The souls of the unsent are driven to the Farplane once their embodiments as Fiends have been defeated." Lulu explained. "Why do you think we haven't stopped to send any Fiends?"

"Hot damn!" Otacon said as he gave Raiden a hi-five.

"What about that Metal Gear? Now that Seymour's gone, I'm sure it's going to go on a rampage." Auron said, cutting their celebration short. "Someone go get Snake."

"What about me?" Raiden asked. "I must have knocked down twenty of them!"

"You're forgetting me as well. I created the foundation that all of the modern models have been built on." Otacon said.

"Go get Snake!" Auron reiterated.

The fire barrier was finally low enough for them to cross. Lulu extinguished it with a heavy ice spell just to be safe. Tidus carried Yuna in his arms as they all rushed toward where they had seen Snake fly off to. He was leaning up against the splintery wall of a Ronso cabin right next to a front door with his rifle out. It was evident that one of his legs had been broken. The cries of the Ronso's distracted them before they could say anything. Metal Gear Spira was tracing lines in the snow again, this time more leisurely, hoping to create a panic. Several missiles launched out of its side, possibly heading towards the other Ronso settlements. Metal Gear Spira then remained silent yet again as if expecting a counterattack. Tidus put Yuna down in front of Snake. She instantly went to work on his leg, trying to will his body to heal itself as was the primary intent of white magic. New phosphorus fires cropped up everywhere around them. Yuna tried to work quickly so they could get out of the way if they were fired upon.

"Where's that disgrace to God?" Snake demanded.

"I killed him." Yuna replied.

Snake's surprise was abundant.

"He's dead?" Snake asked, barely able to contain his joy. "Once and for all completely dead?"

Yuna nodded and offered him a weak smile. Snake grabbed her by the shoulder.

"I could kiss you right now. Good job, kid." Snake said with a genuine smile.

"That would be more than fine with me, but we're not out of the woods yet." Tidus said. "As you can see, that Metal Gear is having a hissy fit. What are we going to do about it?"

"We don't have missiles and it doesn't have any legs I can stick plastic explosives on so we're going to have to fly up there, hop on it, and try to see what we can do from there." Snake said.

He could feel the bone in his leg reconnecting itself with its broken half and slowly mending together. Yuna was a little light on the pain killers, but Snake was able to keep his grunts of pain quiet.

"Leave that to me." a familiar voice said.

The front door to the cabin opened and Solidus stepped out, still in his fancy power suit. Two katana's, a P-90, and an M-9 made up his equipment. He could see that they were all mystified as to how he had gotten ahead of them so quickly so he took off the necklace he was wearing and displayed it to them. An odd obsidian stone that seemed to have an endless depth dangled from a silver chain.

"This is what I used back at Mi'ihen to make my hasty retreat. I like to call it my Mode 7 stone because the world totally goes all Super Nintendo whenever I use it." Solidus said.

"Solidus!" Raiden hissed. "You didn't drive that thing here, did you?"

"No, but I oversaw its development. I know how to shut it down. It's a bit of insurance for myself in case everything came down to this." he said confidently. "So that's what I'll do."

"It's a little late for redemption, don't you think?" Snake demanded.

"Yes, it is, but better late than never, right?"

"What about the Tengu unit?" Snake asked.

"Don't worry. Everything that has to do with Seymour is finished." Solidus said. "Nobody is in charge right now. Power has been temporarily given back to the people."

"How?" Yuna asked.

"Whenever I was around that worthless whore I made sure to bug myself." Solidus said. "I bought the equipment necessary to do the taping shortly after I began doing business with Seymour from some wacky merchant who couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Old habits are hard to break. I duplicated the tape and presented it as evidence to the people who were going to arrest me. After getting away from them I tried to find where Ocelot and Seymour ran off to, but I couldn't."

"You were going to kill them yourself?" Auron asked.

"That's right, but I couldn't find them anywhere! I only recently warped here. About five minutes ago, to be precise."

"Well, you'll be the first outside of our group to hear the news. Seymour's dead and sent." Auron said.

"How did he die?" Solidus asked.

They looked at each other to see if somebody else could offer a proper explanation.

"I guess we kicked him to death." Wakka said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Rikku agreed.

"And then Yuna Holy'd the hell out of him." Raiden said.

Yuna smiled weakly at Raiden's ignorance.

"Good. He got what he deserved." Solidus said.

"I guess this means that whatever deal you had with him is off." Snake said.

"Like I care. Some deal that was. In exchange for providing him with the disc and detailing how Home should be sieged I'd be given the necessary information to properly operate the Stargate they have here. Unfortunately, a lot of what Seymour told me was bullshit, but I let it slide. I was dead set on that goal until he destroyed Home. Yuna furthered the weakening of my resolve. I'm not asking you to forgive me for what I've done. I just need a ride up to the Metal Gear. I'll destroy it."

"And you're sure one man can handle that?"

"Positive. Wait one moment."

Solidus ran back inside to grab something. He returned and handed Yuna three massive manila envelopes.

"This is Seymour's legacy. Tromell was burning the documents when I raided Seymour's mansion. You'll find everything in there from Seymour's diary to notes on the Stargate. Every single secret that the priesthood and Maesters have hidden from the public is in there."

He imposed himself in front of her and cupped her chin in his gloved palm so she was forced to make eye contact with him.

"Now listen to me. Some of the stuff in there is pretty intense. It might be a good idea not to tell the people everything."

"And I should decide what and what not to hide? Why me?" Yuna asked.

"Because Snake isn't going to stay here forever and you are Braska's daughter. The people have an odd fixation with you. They'll listen to anything you tell them. They're so goddamn blind. The politics of Earth would eat this place alive."

Yuna put the envelopes into her bag.

"Now hurry up and call that bird." Solidus said.

"Take this with you." Lulu said as she handed him a thunder bracelet. "It will absorb the electricity."

"That might be useful."

He took the bracelet and slipped it over his left wrist. Yuna stood up, gathered her strength, and summoned Valefor. The speed at which it moved would enable it to easily outmaneuver most of Spira's weapons or at least buy Solidus enough time to get where he needed to be. Solidus ran out and positioned himself so that the bird was swooping down right at him. He motioned with both hands for it to keep going. At the last possible moment he jumped on its back and held on for dear life as it swooped upward sharply. Spira took notice and began launching small remote controlled missiles at the bird. Valefor managed to dodge them gracefully, but couldn't manage to get close enough for Solidus to land gracefully. The surface looked resistant to his tentacles, so he'd need to time his jump carefully.

Valefor sensed Solidus' plan and flew under the Metal Gear's belly. It did a complete three hundred and sixty degree sweep of Metal Gear Spira's central area. Solidus calculated when he needed to drop and did so on the next pass. Valefor spun to safety and remained in the air to rescue Solidus when he finished the job. Solidus landed perfectly and left a small dent behind. The electricity immediately kicked in. A fierce current encircled the entire structure. Solidus couldn't help but flinch. Nothing happened. He experienced a pleasant tingling sensation in his thighs, but other than that he was fine. Metal Gear Spira reacted by pulling out its Fayth beam and aiming at a mountain top. Solidus still had a long way to go and moving on the weapon was a lot like walking across the top of a train car in motion. Metal Gear Spira obviously intended to bury the village beneath them in an avalanche. Valefor screeched and charged Metal Gear Spira. Solidus quickly took both of his swords and drove them into the metal plating. He couldn't help but giggle a little when they went through.

The bird collided with Spira just as it launched its Fayth beam, which glazed a peak before being steered into the sky. Valefor faltered a bit after taking a hit from the stream of electricity, but managed to recover. It was obvious that the bird was hurt. Solidus pressed on with renewed urgency. Several Fiends crawled out from various holes within Spira and headed up toward Solidus. He slashed at them indiscriminately, more focused on the goal ahead than the problems at hand. Valefor provided elemental magic as a backup and even got close enough to grab a few of the larger one's with its feet, which it used to rip its captives apart. Spira was furious and launched another barrage of missiles at Valefor. One hit, sending Valefor down but not out for the count. Solidus was impressed by the birds' endurance. Spira sent another barrage of missiles, this set aimed at Solidus himself.

He reacted by finding his balance and knocking the missiles away with his tentacle arms. The main purpose of technology was to overcome the impossible. An astronomical amount of math, money, science, and equations had been dumped into his suit and the outfits given to the Tengu's. The soldiers of tomorrow would look like they came straight out of a science fiction novel. With all this in mind he couldn't help but feel like a badass as his tentacle arms grabbed the missiles and redirected them into the belly of Metal Gear Spira. Explosions littered its underside for a brief moment, but did nothing to weaken the hull. Solidus pressed on further.

An odd symbol suddenly flashed beneath his feet. Solidus had no time to examine it thoroughly. His thunder bracelet snapped and the rock broke into two pieces. The electrical current immediately absorbed into his suit, but it would only hold for so long. All Solidus needed to do was walk just a little further until he could descend into the cockpit. Metal Gear Spira went crazy, swaying back and forth and changing directions on the fly. It was far too heavy to fly upside down, which Solidus was grateful for while he threw up. He finally crouched down next to a touch operate panel at the head no bigger than his hand as his entire body began to feel as though it were being continuously assaulted by static electricity. A twistable lid led down into the cockpit, but it was currently locked. This part was do or die. Solidus quickly took off his glove and placed his hand on the panel. Even though it took him no longer than ten seconds to do this, it was incredibly painful. A login screen appeared. Solidus sighed in relief as he input the appropriate information.

It didn't open. Seymour had locked him out. Solidus reacted by grabbing a hold of the entrance and pulling with all of his might. The muscles in his suit expanded to their largest state. He could hear the sound of metal sheering. His feet began to press into the metal beneath his feet. All the power he could possibly muster was channeled into this relatively simple task. He screamed to fuel his adrenaline. An artificial muscle in his right arm blew out just as the lid came free and went sailing off over the side of Metal Gear Spira. Solidus fell inside the hole. He didn't bother using the ladder. The interior had been built to resemble a studio apartment. There was a refrigerator, a bathroom, a shower, and the necessary equipment to ensure that whoever was inside could remain there for quite a while.

A Benelli shotgun, M468, and a funny staff that gave off a positively evil aura were the only means of defense the single pilot had in case of a breach. Having an automated turret inside the chamber would be another nice touch just in case some soldier happened to come along with a power suit capable of pulling the lid off. Solidus found himself making a mental note to ensure that the lid was reinforced further in future models. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down in the pilot's seat. Two dual monitor PC screens were comfortably situated near his lap. The one on the left showed all of the working mechanics of the Metal Gear such as its currently fuel level, temperature, and remaining ammunition. The one on the right was locked down. He'd have to manually override it. A plate glass window gave him a spectacular view of Mount Gagazet. It was a two way mirror, so only he could see through it.

Solidus went through the system by using a backdoor he'd created earlier just in case an emergency like this would arise. Seymour wasn't too good with computers. After paging through a few windows he finally found what he was looking for. The bomb. Metal Gear Spira was indeed equipped with a nuclear device. The wondrous mechanics of the Predators' cigar box would instantly activate, ensuring that there would be a very big boom capable of destroying at least three hundred city blocks. Solidus patched in the override command so that he was now in charge of the Metal Gear. In a relatively short amount of time he configured the missile to launch itself into the ocean. The confirmation command appeared before him. For a moment he lingered in his seat, considering how far he'd come. With a sigh, he hit the button. The second he did, a barb in the back of his seat shot out and nearly severed his spine. Solidus cried out in pain as a video appeared in place of Spira's technical information.

"Greetings, George." Ocelot said.

"Shit!" Solidus said.

"That's a poison moving through your body right now. In less than a minute you should be permanently paralyzed. That's all we have time for, really."

He could no longer feel his arms. His tentacles were still in tune with his nanomachines, so he used one of them to try and circumvent the virus. This was incredibly difficult to do with only three clunky fingers to work with.

"Seymour tells me you've been having second thoughts about everything. That's just like you." Ocelot continued. "I sabotaged the AI's programming to make sure you would die when you tried to redeem yourself and while Seymour was distracted I picked up those translations. And you know what that means."

A thirty second countdown appeared in the corner of the video. Solidus had managed to get into DOS. He decided to route the command through it so he could save some time.

"Null wants me to thank you for all your service, but I personally think everything you've done on Spira has been a waste of time."

Fifth-teen seconds. He'd plotted the coordinates.

"Goddamn it!" Solidus screamed.

"And Null? The leader of the Patriots? He is exactly who you thought he was."

Ten seconds.

"You're no Big Boss. You died by your own hand." Ocelot said.

From the ground, Team Yuna saw a missile shoot out from the side of Metal Gear Spira. Then the Metal Gear exploded with a force that shook the earth. A mighty shock wave nearly floored everyone on the ground. The abruptness of this troubling development was nauseating and so overblown that it caused temporary disbelief, but there it was. Solidus had just become a casualty. Yuna took a few steps forward and then dropped to her knees. The force of the explosion was so great that much of Spira had been reduced to tiny harmless pieces of metal by the time it hit the ground. It had been rigged that way to ensure that no part of it could be salvaged in the event that it had to be detonated.

"Do you think. . ." Raiden began.

He couldn't finish. The answer was obvious. Nothing short of getting a time machine, warping back to the exact minute the Metal Gear exploded, suspending time itself to allow them to coordinate a rescue, and replacing Solidus with a doll was going to bring the man back. Valefor stayed in the sky for a while after the explosion, trying to locate any trace of Solidus in vain. Yuna finished healing Snake and called the bird back down. It seemed regretful as Yuna dismissed it. There was sadly only one way to honor Solidus for his sacrifice and that was by giving him a sending. If his spirit was willing enough he could possibly reincarnate himself. Yuna hated to admit it, but she did not believe Solidus' spirit was strong enough to resist changing into a Fiend for very long. His work was finished. Yuna swallowed her sorrow and moved into her slow waltz to initiate the sending.

A group of pyreflies drifted downward from where the Metal Gear had once been suspended. They kept their distance from Yuna and remained stationary. Yuna pointed towards the southwest, which is where they would find Guadosalam. With that cleared up, they leisurely headed for the Farplane. Solidus had honorably accepted his untimely demise without any complaints, but the pyreflies clearly left behind a feeling of sadness as they departed. Yuna watched them as they went. Raiden gave Solidus' soul a parting salute that everyone emulated.

"Did he know he was going to die?" Lulu asked.

"No. Solidus was not a man marching to his death. He was afraid, but he believed he could win." Auron replied. "He clearly walked right into a trap."

"It sure looked like one from down here." Tidus said.

Snake stood up and found that he could walk without a limp. The bone had healed perfectly. He was the first to approach Yuna as she stared off into the distance.

"I hope he's the last to die." Yuna said sadly. "What a waste."

He suddenly found himself wishing that Auron hadn't told him about Tidus' fate.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" Yuna said. "Since he's your brother."

"I never knew him." Snake said.

Yuna's head dropped in disappointment.

"That's okay. He probably wouldn't want us lingering around too long." Yuna said.

"Probably not, especially after he got rid of our biggest concern. We no longer have anything to worry about other than what's ahead." Snake explained encouragingly.

"How shall we remember him?" Yuna asked.

"As a Guardian." Snake was quick to respond. "A friend, even. At least to you. Maybe even to all of us."

That made her start crying. Snake rolled his eyes and regretted his wording. She clung to him for fatherly support. At least she wept silently and didn't wail. Outwardly expressing her sorrow in the way she did allowed her to retain much of her dignity.

"I wish he hadn't have died." Yuna sobbed.

"Me too." Snake said after a moment. He couldn't believe how much he meant that.

She broke away from him and wiped her eyes. Further lamentation was not necessary. Solidus was dead and had died at a poignant time in his life, but at least he was finally at peace. Comforting themselves in this manner left Seymour's philosophy ringing in their heads. Obviously there was some value to it. Snake did not dare mention that Solidus was genetically and physically much older than he looked. He had probably kept his suit on at all times to make up for his aging combat ability. Decaying at the rate he was, Solidus would have been dead within five more years. That was a sobering thought to Snake. He looked at his leg again. The break hadn't felt simple and yet Yuna's white magic had still managed to completely repair it. Snake refused to get too excited over the prospect of magic possibly curing FoxDie or alleviating the detrimental effects his replicated DNA were having on his body. The bone would have healed itself with proper care. Viruses behaved differently.

A crowd of Ronso's had been watching the drama. Since Team Yuna was really the only party present that knew what was going on they had to piece a major portion of the story together for themselves. Yuna bowed to them.

"I apologize for the inconvenience." Yuna said.

"Lady Yuna need not apologize." an older Ronso who appeared to be their chief said. "Ronso always knew Seymour was crooked. Please, continue with your pilgrimage or rest for time being if needed."

With that, the Ronso's dispersed and began doing damage assessments. It was eerie how they handled themselves in comparison to the emotionally shaken Team Yuna.

"What now?" Auron asked Yuna.

"Let's climb Gagazet. We'll rest before entering Zanarkand." Yuna replied.

What followed was one of the most depressing hikes Snake had ever been on. Yuna, completely exhausted after having used so much magic in one sitting, had to be carried by Tidus. Raiden wasn't doing so well either. Solidus had been the only father he'd had and while none of his memories of him were appropriate topics for conversation Raiden was slightly affected by Solidus' change of heart. While far from accepting Solidus, Raiden still respected him, especially after reviewing his previous motives. The only reason Solidus had tried to kill him was to get to the Patriots. There was no room for love when the decision to find the Patriots involved sacrificing his surrogate son. Monuments to Guardians who had died on the mountain did not exactly cheer any of them up. Apparently in the past powerful Fiends had been quite rampant on Gagazet. The area calmed down after enough Ronso's had banded together to make them less of a problem. Lulu once again became incredibly popular as she transformed herself into a living portable heater. Her heat thankfully did not melt the snow around her. The terrain was difficult enough without having to trudge through mush. Snake tried to keep his distance from her to test his endurance. This was more than just a territory of miserable freezing pain. The wind had a bite to it that made his face feel incredibly raw and stole a part of his soul.

Hours later they entered a cave devoid of light. Lulu produced a flame that illuminated a great deal of their surroundings. She was beginning to look quite exhausted from using so much energy. Sweat covered her brow and her breathing became labored, yet she did not complain. Yuna got back on her feet. Snake felt as though something were watching them. Being one of the more level headed members of the group, he did not say anything before checking his suspicion on his own. He put on his night vision goggles and looked around. Nothing was on the ground, but the ceiling was covered in Fiends. None of them acted upon being discovered, which was a good thing since they'd be covered up to their necks in weird insectoid creatures with limbs shaped like knives that kept them hooked into the rocks. It would be totally awesome if they didn't have to classify them as something other than scavengers. Snake kept quiet and took his goggles off.

Eventually they ran into one that was eating a carcass mutilated beyond recognition. Tidus moved to attack it, but Snake throttled him before he could hurt it. The creature made a noise that reminded Snake of a cicada. It was annoyed and seemed to be demanding something. Snake took out two of his rations and threw them behind the team. Several of the Fiends dropped from the ceiling with distinctive thuds and began to fight over the food. Team Yuna picked up their pace and slipped by while the creatures had their dinner. Soon afterward they emerged from the underground void and came upon a horrific sight. Hundreds of entwined bodies were bound organically to the small hills all around them. A blue pulse coursed through the jumble of preserved human remains. When Tidus saw this, he immediately passed out.

Snake looked to Auron, who nodded subtly. These were the Fayths he had mentioned that created dream Zanarkand. Tidus would hopefully take the news of his impending demise with a smile. Yuna was all over him with her regenerative magic, but Tidus was out cold for five minutes. When he awoke, he was greatly disoriented. He mentioned nothing of what he had dreamed and was eager for a break. They found a comfortable spot that provided a spectacular view of the ruins of Zanarkand. The site gave new meaning to the phrase concrete jungle. It looked exactly like a city would after a bomb had been dropped on it. Stray pyreflies littered the roads. Some buildings remained intact, but only Fiends inhabited them. Off in the distance Snake could see the remains of the stadium Cloud had mentioned. Tidus stared at the ruins a long time with Yuna at his side while the rest of the team sat gloomily around the campfire. Snake watched them out of the corner of his eye.

Tidus whispered something to his significant other. She nodded and sat next to Rikku near the campfire. He obviously wanted to be alone in his thoughts, which could not be positive. It looked as though he were piecing together their journey from the very beginning. Snake decided not to bother him now. The two of them now shared a common pain. An impending demise. At least Tidus knew when his time was up. Auron suddenly stood from his seat.

"Our destination is the stadium." Auron said. "It's time to destroy the Yevon religion. Are we all clear on why?"

"To clear away the centuries of lies, fear of technology, poor political structure, and one grand mistake of a belated summoner." Rikku said. "With this we will tear down the walls of oppression and rebuild Spira."

"Let's just hope we're strong enough for her." Lulu said. "Seymour didn't have a chance to gestate as long as she has."

"When we get there, I don't want anyone to rush the battle." Auron said. "We need to be very careful."

They gathered their equipment and prepared to head out. Snake walked over to Tidus and stood beside him for a moment.

"It's time to go." Snake said.

He offered Tidus his hand, which Tidus took. The kid was visibly shaking in fear.

"You don't look so good." Snake said. "Are you feeling a little anemic? Here, have some of my white magic."

Snake held Tidus' hand and placed two diazepam pills in his palm. Tidus did not look amused. There was a definite reluctance to go through with this, but at the same time a strong sense of duty. Tidus' taught face and clenched jaw against the background of Zanarkand's ruins burned into his mind. He regarded the pills for a moment before swallowing them dry.

"Got anything stronger?" Tidus asked, trying to keep his sense of humor alive.

"We'll need you to be conscious." Snake replied.

Tidus chuckled weakly. The two of them rejoined the team as they entered into Zanarkand, their final stop before confronting Sin and saving the world.


	31. Chapter 30 : Journey's End

**Chapter 30 : Journey's End.**

Navigating Zanarkand proved easier than anyone could have hoped for despite how many Fiends there were. Tons of unsent pyreflies floating around freely guaranteed constant bombardment by opposing forces. Those who did not have enough time to give themselves up as Fayths during that pivotal moment when Sin was first created had been doomed to become Fiends. To send as many people who had died in this city a thousand years ago would take around a hundred summoners according to Lulu's estimation. Snake thought of the huge population of Fiends differently. Nobody could just walk right on in and visit Yunalesca without first proving themselves. Thankfully, when Fiends the size of titans began appearing Yuna had an epiphany. Bahamut had healed itself and was ready for more action. The dragon watched from above and took out many of the more colossal Fiends with flying pile drivers and suplexes before they even got close to Team Yuna. It was having so much fun that it climb atop a broken building and performed an elbow drop on some purple behemoth with a shaggy yellow mullet. It was hard for Team Yuna to keep their footing with the ground continuously shaking as Bahamut cleaned house. They eventually began shouldering one another for added balance.

Snake found himself wishing they had a little extra help after going through his third box of M63 ammo. Raiden became inseparable from his RGB6. He was more than a little miffed that his katana had been shattered and still didn't feel too completely comfortable with Solidus' death. Raiden toiled with that demon inside and it showed through his performance in battle. The same could be said of Tidus. He was more visceral and not so kind to the Fiends he attacked, preferring to see them suffer a little in excruciating agony before cutting them in a way that drowned out their screams. A few Fiends jumped at them from above. Kimahri took advantage of this by catching most of them on his spear. Whenever he got one he couldn't help but laugh. When the Fiends didn't catch on to this and still leaped freely to death by impalement, everyone else began laughing.

Team Yuna came upon a broken overpass that barred their way. Bahamut felt that it would be an inconvenience for its current master to walk around it, so he lifted it up for her. This revealed a mess of Fiends that were waiting to ambush them. Bahamut smashed them all with the overpass a couple of times and threw it carelessly to the south, killing the entire squad of cactuar's that had set out to eliminate Snake once and for all. When they arrived at the stadium, Bahamut guarded the entrance for as long as he'd be able to. Aeon's couldn't last long when separated from their masters. It took them a while to find the entrance to the Fayth chamber. The stadium's innards were positively ghostly. Its halls were full of trash, rubble, and a peculiar breed of humanoid mannequin Fiends that were easily subdued.

Tidus wandered out into the playing area at the bottom of the stadium without saying anything. He looked upward with his mouth open in shock. Nothing he had seen so far had sealed the deal as much as being at the stadium floor did. The sphere mechanism that filled with water had been destroyed for quite some time and laid on its side against the seats above him. He could confirm that this was where he had once played due to some unique variations in the stadium's structure. Tidus now felt completely out of place for the first time since the beginning of the journey. This was the reality he'd lived in the shadow of for most of his life. The sound of the wind was the only thing cheering him on in this lonely pit. He came back to the team with tears glittering in his eyes, eager to move on.

The entrance to the Cloister of Trials was within the woman's bathroom. Snake and Raiden chuckled as they went inside after the ladies. A large hole had been carved out in the floor at the last stall. Light appeared in the chamber below at their approach. Each of them descended into the area by using a long rope ladder. Everyone collectively groaned at the familiar site of a stupid puzzle. Not much could prepare them for it.

"These should be more like those puzzles on Legends of the Hidden Temple." Otacon said.

"Holy shit, I can't believe I remember that show!" Snake exclaimed. "Let's get to work. Maybe if we're lucky we'll find a silver monkey."

The room was relatively small. Four pedestals were inches away from their alcoves within the walls. A sealed door was right next to an HDTV that lit up when Tidus stood on a stone in the center of the room. Little white lights popped up on certain stones and the television flared to life and displayed a variety of colored Tetris blocks in 1080p. The square slabs of rock illuminated by white lights broke into patterns when Yuna struck them with the heel of her foot. Solving the puzzle was as easy as matching the floor up with what was on the screen. Their reward was admittance to a much larger room that had the same theme. An elevator mechanism was in the middle of the spacious chamber, but its platform was well beneath their reach. Another HDTV turned itself on and demanded they turn the place into a fashionable European night club.

When they did, all the lights in the place went out. The television displayed a static image until an unseen remote switched it to its third input. Video Out 3 sat on the upper right hand corner of the screen until the television turned itself off and slid upward. Four elemental spheres glowed with the intensity of industrial strength glowsticks. Snake pulled out his flashlight and guided them safely to the spheres so they wouldn't fall down the elevator shaft. They took the spheres into the smaller room and put them on the pedestals before pushing them into their respective alcoves. The lights came back on. They could hear the elevator platform ascending in the other room. Snake half expected to be met with a fight. Instead, only a line of cryptic graffiti etched on the edge of the platform hinted at what once had been.

_There was a monster here. He's gone now._

It wasn't Cloud's handwriting. To deface the temples was a serious offense so whoever had been through here before them wasn't a summoner. Team Yuna gathered on the platform, which descended for a full minute until finally coming to a stop. They walked into a large ornate red chamber that resembled the entrance to every temple they had been in except that there were no statues or rooms used by priests. A group of abandoned pyreflies circulated lazily around the ceiling. Before them was a staircase that lead up to two double doors.

"That will take us to Yunalesca." Auron explained. "Is everyone ready?"

They nodded. Auron looked as though he would have dragged anyone not fully prepared by their hair if he needed to. He put himself at the head of the group and pulled open both of the doors. A black abyss awaited them. The moment they stepped through it they were transported to a place beyond time and space. They stood on a square slab in the middle of a universe. There was a garden full of exotic plants on both sides of the path that decorated the slab quite well. A starry sky was everywhere they looked and a pleasant smell hung in the air thanks to the unique vegetation thriving in the area. The peacefulness of this spot did not hide the sorrow experienced here. This was where the Final Aeon was chosen. One Guardian would give themselves up and eventually become Sin. This pivotal step would soon be obsolete. They began walking forward to search for the one who facilitated the tragic practice.

A woman with silver hair was tending to a sage brush off to the side. She wore nothing more than a brass bikini. Snake found it vulgar to flaunt her timeless beauty given the circumstances. Lady Yunalesca greeted them with a conceited smile at their approach. She stood up and walked forward with her back to them. Otacon and Snake were reminded of Meryl by Yunalesca's way of walking. Snake made it a point to be right next to Auron as they followed her. His ears were turning red. He wasn't stupid enough to blow his one and only chance, but Snake was there to make sure he didn't strike too early. Yunalesca finally came to a stop at the end of the road, which dropped off steeply into oblivion. They had walked about a half a mile in silence. Yunalesca turned to face them.

"I know why you're here." Yunalesca said.

There was nothing they could say to her.

"If you go through with your plan, you will cause more suffering than you could ever imagine, Yuna." Yunalesca said. "Listen carefully and consider the consequences. The repression of technology is not the only reason Sin was created. If you destroy Sin, then there will no longer be any population control. Spira will eventually become so congested with people that it will need to seek out other islands. People will become separated. The economy will be compromised. Different nations will arise. Technology will give birth to weapons of mass destruction. I could go on forever. More people will die if Sin is destroyed than Sin itself could possibly kill in an eternity!"

Yunalesca snapped her fingers. Everyone seized up, unable to move. Before they could protest, various travesties were played before them mentally. They were bombarded with unpleasant realities that Sin kept in check, each with their own distinct emotion and images.

"Do you see what happens when there is no control?" Yunalesca demanded.

Nuclear war. Famine. AIDS. Prime time television.

"Do you see what happens when you take away the one thing that maintains a civilization?"

Suicide. Racism. Pedophilia. Poverty. Rape.

"Destroying Sin will remove the control my father and myself have put this world under!"

Abortion. Prostitution. Slavery. Drug abuse. Alcoholism. Political corruption. Monopoly.

"Yuna, how could you possibly forsake Sin, the very thing that holds Spira together? You will be remembered well for killing that lunatic Seymour. Accept that. The people will glorify you for all you have done. Would you stab them in the back by giving birth to chaos?"

Child soldiers. Throttling. Individualistic cultures. Recession. Global warming. Oil. Water. Grammatical errors.

"Answer me!" Yunalesca demanded.

They were released from the trance. It had been a long time coming, but now Snake was permanently desensitized to violence. The determination the group had held on to for so long had been firmly shaken. Yunalesca had made a very good point. However, while with just as many internal problems, Spira was a paradise compared to Earth. All the attention fell on Yuna, who smiled brightly. This was a genuine smile of pure confidence, not at all faked like the temple had taught her to do.

"Lady Yunalesca, such things exist even with Sin alive. I have not forgotten to consider what has to be done after Sin is permanently destroyed in order to maintain Spira."

Yunalesca raised an eyebrow at Yuna, silently encouraging her to continue.

"It's a simple plan, really. In fact, it's not so different from yours."

"Can the exposition. It's annoying." Yunalesca said icily.

"Imagine if there were twelve people. . ." Yuna began.

Snake's blood ran cold when he automatically finished the sentence for her in his mind.

"With unlimited resources. . . "

Raiden had to remind himself that one had to be born with asthma in order to suffer from it.

"Who set the rules for a civilization on the brink of a major change and maintained absolutely ever asset of it from within their own organization?"

Yunalesca seemed moderately impressed by the proposal.

"A world could be sustained by a universal governing structure. Spira already has that and nobody has ever caught on to it. The problem is that in order to achieve such control, you have to get it early and you have to be careful who you give that control to. Ours will be a new era free of the misery Sin and Yevon bring with them."

She paused to gather her thoughts.

"Life is but a prelude to death." Yuna said. "The people trust those in charge to make this journey easier for them. Sin is not exactly something everyone would approve of if they knew the truth."

"And who better to lead the people into the light other than Lord Braska's only daughter? You killed Seymour and you will destroy Sin once and for all." Yunalesca summed up. "Clever girl. The people will look to you once your journey has been completed. Once you clear up Yevon's lies, you could easily suggest a new totalitarian model for the people to follow. After all, the populace is but one big herd of mindless sheep. It would. . ."

Yunalesca caught herself.

"Damn, what am I saying? It will never work. My way is better! The risks are too high."

"I will soon know all of the lies the church has told the people. I intend to see that most of them are left intact. Besides, Sin could always be recreated." Yuna said.

"That would be a titanic mess of epic proportions. Would you bear that on your shoulders?" Yunalesca asked.

"I would. I have faith that this plan will work."

"What if technology causes magic to fade away?" Yunalesca asked.

"That is only a theory." Yuna replied.

Yunalesca barked a laugh at that.

"I'll admit that you have a decent idea." she said with complete honesty. "However, my way is still better. I shall give your regards to Isaaru and Dona."

"So are you just going to flick your wrist like you did last time or do you intend to give us a chance?" Auron taunted before she could do anything.

Yunalesca laughed darkly.

"No weapons you have could possibly kill me." Yunalesca said. "I am far too good to even break a sweat on any of you."

"Tell her she's getting fat." Snake whispered.

"You're getting fat." Auron said.

An insult would only spark anger in the target if they were sensitive to the topic. There was no room for doubt in confidence. Obviously they hit a raw nerve with Yunalesca as her reaction was equivalent to that of any woman when reminded far too late that it would be wise to exercise regularly. It was a seething anger that gradually expanded into sheer rage.

"You imbecile! I don't even eat." Yunalesca roared.

"I wasn't going to say anything about that until you mentioned it, but you're right." Auron said. "You don't look like you eat much."

"Bulimic." Wakka said.

"Anorexic." Lulu added.

"Both." Raiden concluded with a dismissive shrug.

"Yeah, you could use a few sandwiches." Rikku said. "Even I don't try to keep myself _that _thin, you know? But go easy on the mayonnaise. You don't want too much fat."

"You are on the verge of death and you would dare to hurl trivial insults at me?" Yunalesca demanded. "Fine. I'll get in my thirty minutes of exercise for today by killing all of you manually so long as you keep me entertained."

A jeweled battle axe materialized at Yunalesca's side, which she equipped herself with. She gave no indication that she was anything less than an expert at wielding the weapon. Yunalesca cast a spell that nullified the use of all magic except her own. This manifested itself as obscure pentagrams that appeared beneath Yuna and Lulu's feet. The marking followed them wherever they stepped. Yunalesca spun in a circle and swung her axe once to the side. A great gust of wind knocked everyone off of their feet. She then charged the group, confident in her ability to render them all in two. Yunalesca picked Snake as her first target. When the rest of the team tried to gang up on Yunalesca, they found themselves unable to. Whenever anyone got close enough to do any damage they were pulled back and thrown to the ground by an unseen force. Yunalesca laughed at their efforts.

"Come now. Nine against one isn't entirely fair. Let's keep it even, kids."

Snake took out his combat knife and evaded Yunalesca's attacks to the best of his ability. He caught her arm on a lunge and instinctively bent it the other way. There was a distinct crack as he broke her arm. Yunalesca barely flinched and shoved him off. While he watched she flicked her crooked arm, making it straight again. There was only the slightest indication that this wound had bothered her and she considered it nothing more than a bee sting. Maybe a hornet sting. She almost managed to cleave him in half with a mighty downward swing, which left her body wide open. Snake moved in and wrapped his arm around her neck while she was trying to pry her axe out of the floor. He proceeded to stab her viciously in the gut with his one free hand. Yunalesca's body heated up to the point where Snake could no longer keep his hold on her. He dropped his knife in surprise, which Yunalesca retrieved. She left her axe where it was for the time being since she had a new weapon. Snake managed to get it back from her almost immediately as she knew next to nothing about attacking with a knife. He broke the wrist she lunged at him with, disconnected her shoulder, and caught her jaw with his arm as he moved in, sending it into the stone floor beneath them as he turned his advance into a tackle. Yunalesca's jaw fractured on impact. Sufficiently annoyed, she grabbed him by his chin and threw him forcefully to the side while her body healed itself.

"Decent." Yunalesca ruled.

Yunalesca got to her feet and retrieved her axe. She then turned her attention to Yuna, who elected to use her staff as a weapon. Summoners were highly trained to defend themselves with staffs. Yunalesca knew almost all of these moves by heart as she had designed the course all summoners were required to follow and could have easily overpowered anyone who hadn't studied them as meticulously as Yuna had. Her form was perfect and some of her moves were foreign to Yunalesca, possibly improvised by Yuna herself. Few took the training that literally, instead relying on their Guardians for absolute protection. Since the staff was blunt, Yuna could do little more than bat at her opponent until she finally deflected the axe and cracked Yunalesca upside the head with the other end. Yunalesca stumbled back, slightly dazed.

"The same move that knocked Seymour down." Yunalesca observed. "Is that one of your own?"

Yuna didn't answer. Yunalesca huffed.

"No matter. I'm bored with you."

She found this exhausting. If they weren't so experienced she'd have no trouble fighting them. Using her magic was becoming a more tantalizing idea, but that would mean going back on her word. While a cold, selfish beast of a woman, Yunalesca still wanted to retain some honor. However, she wasn't going to let them kill her. With that in mind she turned her attention to Auron, who was the only person present who truly deserved a fair fight. After getting rid of him, she didn't owe them anything. Auron stood defiantly in the same place he had been when the battle had started. He evaded the axe skillfully, contributing to much of Yunalesca's frustration at not having practiced with the weapon for a few months now.

Yunalesca came at him again, this time a bit more creatively. She swung the axe upward at an arc that would have taken off his head. Auron ducked underneath the swing and stepped forward, resisting the urge to trip her. A bright blue flash that lasted no longer than a second emitted as Auron cut across Yunalesca's back with a weapon he had just retrieved while he sidestepped her. She cried out in surprise and stumbled forward. Before they could see the wicked gash she turned around and straightened up. This was the first attack that had actually caused her any noticeable pain. Whatever weapon he had struck her with had to be magical. Enough hits like that could bring her down. Yunalesca decided it was time to stop being polite, but before that she needed to know what weapon he possessed for future reference.

"What was that little thing?" Yunalesca asked mockingly.

Auron showed her the hilt of the sword, which was more than enough to identify the weapon. Auron wanted to emphasize it. The hilt was made of solid gold. A small inscription from a tongue long forgotten was along the back. A colorful assortment of materia was visible. The sword sprang to life in an instant, erupting into a brilliant white blade of pure energy.

"You mean this?" Auron asked.

Yunalesca's shocked expression displayed the first trace of fear they'd seen from her.

"Where did you get that?" Yunalesca demanded. "That's not even supposed to exist on this world!"

"I searched nine long years for a weapon capable of killing you." Auron said. "I had about given up when I met a man named Cloud skulking around Zanarkand. Turns out he knew just the thing for the job. How lucky."

"Atma Weapon." Yunalesca said.

"Ultima Weapon, actually." Auron corrected. "Without the correct modifications it is strong, but not quite enough to easily kill something like you or Seymour."

Yunalesca nervously twirled the battle axe in her hands. Before she could ask Auron what he meant by modifications she suddenly cried out in excruciating agony and dropped her weapon. The wound on her back had unexpectedly flared up. An unbearable searing pain seized her body. She could feel something crawling around inside of her. Yunalesca touched the wound and brought her hand into view. Tiny little white beads with blue edges began absorbing themselves into her skin.

"Holy!" she hissed.

Yunalesca's body became faint at this realization. Pyreflies began leaving her. She dropped the axe and collapsed to the floor, howling in angered disbelief.

"How did you put Holy into that blade?" Yunalesca demanded.

"I stuck this pretty magic jewel inside this little hole." Auron replied sardonically, pointing at the materia that contained Holy.

She laughed weakly as she slumped to the floor, no longer able to support her body.

"To think my life would have ended like this." Yunalesca whispered. "At least I die with no regrets."

The plants around them began to wilt as Yunalesca's strength faded. She closed her eyes and stopped resisting the power of Holy as it continued attacking her. Yunalesca's body was enveloped in the familiar glow and then completely disintegrated.

"Damn. That stuff gets some work done." Snake observed.

"What in God's name is this spell?" Raiden asked. "It killed Seymour and now it took out Yunalesca."

"I told you already. Holy is the highest and only offensive spell in the white magic sect. The spell is traditionally described as the ultimate answer to evil and is highly effective against the undead. Only a handful of white mages can use it." Lulu explained.

"It's also highly corrosive." Yuna continued. "Since Holy specifically attacks evil it can possibly harm the person casting the spell if their sins are not atoned for. There are few Fiends strong enough to resist it."

The energy blade faded away and Auron put the sword back into his outfit.

"Did she even stand a chance?" Otacon asked.

"Of course. So long as I couldn't hit her. If she had known I had it that would have also been a problem." Auron replied. "Overconfidence doesn't win a fight."

"Yeah, and she was playing dirty with that barrier." Wakka added. "Serves her right, I say."

"What now?" Rikku asked. "Do we celebrate?"

She broke into a little dance, which slightly alleviated the tension of the group.

"It's time to face Sin." Auron replied. "We should hurry. There's no telling how much longer Jecht can hold out."

"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.

"Do you remember what Seymour said? Half of Spira would be a smoldering pile of rubble by now if anyone else were Sin. I don't know how he did it, but Jecht has managed to control himself."

"Why?"

"So you could help him put an end to the dream." Auron said.

Tidus huffed. Snake could sense an argument erupting so he stepped in to diffuse it for now.

"I think it's about time we split up."

"Something wrong?" Lulu asked.

"I want to make absolutely certain the Stargate is secured."

"I see." Lulu said. "After all, it's your only way home."

"I'll show you where it is since Cloud isn't here to do so." Auron offered.

"Good. Otacon, Raiden, you're with me. Everyone else get Yuna out of Zanarkand. Rikku, you call your father and have him send in a unit to stay in our place. Unless, of course, there's some reason you can't do that."

"I'm keeping this." Rikku said as she picked up the axe.

"Rikku!"

"Yes, I heard you before. It's just such a pretty axe. I was distracted."

Team Yuna stayed together until they took the elevator up to the Cloister of Trials. They then separated from Snake's group.

"Be careful." Yuna urged.

"Likewise." Snake said.

Auron began by putting the spheres back in their original spots. Everything reset itself. The elevator plunged to the room beneath them and the television reappeared. They followed him back into the first room. He then physically walked through the wall to the right of the television. This initially startled the three men following him, but it was merely a holographic projection. A tiny device had been mounted into the wall behind the fallacy which constantly displayed the image. Snake took out his hefty flashlight again and cut through the darkness surrounding them. They encountered a dead end. Auron touched the wall and traced a specific line across it. The religious symbols for each temple appeared on the wall, illuminated with a neon glow. There were thirty nine other markings Snake didn't recognize that lit the suspicious hallway up like the best Christmas tree ever.

Auron touched them in the correct order and they disappeared. He did not need to touch every single marking, but that did not make it a simple task. Auron was careful in his selections, which conveyed to Snake that he'd set off a trap if he picked the wrong symbols. Snake tried to not imagine the endless pit lying in wait beneath them if Auron made a mistake. Yevon obviously didn't want anyone to know about this thing. When he finished, the wall in front of them slid noisily down into the floor. In the middle of a small square room a peculiar stone ring stood mounted to the ground. A control panel faced it front from a few feet away. The was already active and was holding a watery substance in the same way a bubble wand held soap. It rippled innocently and provided a great source of light for the otherwise pitch black tomb the ring had been hidden in. This light was helpful in revealing the five blocks of C-4 stuck along the rim of the ring.

Ocelot stepped out from behind the Stargate holding a detonator. His thumb was already on the red button, applying just enough pressure to make everyone paranoid without setting off any of the explosives.

"Now that I have your complete attention, let's discuss the plan." Ocelot said. "Yes, the great plan. Earth is in desperate need of additional resources. None of the planets in our solar system have proven helpful. So what are we to do? Some suggested that we cut the population of the world down to one billion by introducing interesting new diseases. Well, that was off to a promising start, but you can't stop humans from consuming and reproducing no matter how hard your biological weapons are to cure. The next plan was to allocate absolute necessities strictly to the superpowers, but those little countries can prove quite resilient in a fight."

He took out one of his revolvers and began to twirl it absently out of habit, but something was wrong with how he handled the gun play. It was way off and not quite as clean as Snake remembered. In fact, it was downright sloppy. Not at all like Ocelot.

"Those were just little experiments and when none of them worked out we began aiming for something a little more ambitious. We've known how solar systems form for quite some time. All it takes is two elements, a big explosion, and millions of years for minor details to refine themselves. We've also known for about as long that our universe will eventually cave in on itself. Again, just little experiments. Something to pass the time with. So when we heard about this Stargate system we became slightly interested in the possibilities. Reports have been around for quite some time that detail the success of the program. And what do we find when we start our own little investigation? Ripe worlds ours for the taking."

He flicked open the barrel and looked at the six bullets gleaming up at him before slamming it back into place.

"One such world, Spira, has an enormous supply of fresh water. Go check it out, they said. See if this is worth the effort it would take to compromise the secrecy of the organization. The pivotal decision is still being discussed. Shall we claim a planet for ourselves and leave Earth to rot under its own inadequacies or do we take what we can from uninhabited planets and make Earth more grand than anything else out there? My suggestion? Leave Earth to rot. Rial up some so called aliens. Watch as the pitiful glass marble is destroyed and then start anew in a different political structure that we would eventually take over, for our tactics are not unlike the behavior of a virus. Unfortunately, Spira is not quite what we're looking for. Too small for our tastes."

He harnessed his revolver.

"That's all Ocelot knew. You were right all along. . .brother." Ocelot said.

Snake gawked in disbelief.

"Liquid?" he said.

"Maybe. At this point it's hard to tell. Consider me the perfect combination of both." the older gentleman replied.

"What happened to your accent?" Otacon asked.

"Osmosis."

"I thought you were off to bury the Patriots for good." Snake said.

"Liquid and Ocelot both shared that intention." the man explained. "Ocelot desired that the organization revert to what it once was back in the sixties before things got out of hand. He planned to do that the old fashioned way. Assassinations. I bet you can guess what he intended to use."

"FoxDie?"

"Good." he said with a nod. "Liquid did not want a shadow government pulling the strings of politicians. He desired a world immersed in war and military service with a black and white dictatorship governing the populace. In other words, he was bat shit crazy. He thought of himself as the new Big Boss, but Big Boss would consider Liquid an absolute disgrace. A lowly terrorist who needed to be shot. Even so, Liquid had ideas that Ocelot did not. Certain helpful insights, you could say. Ideas that would smoothly achieve both goals in a unified manner. Both knew of the Patriots and the Stargate project. Both had different takes on it. When they came together, neither expected my creation."

"So you're not Ocelot or Liquid." Snake observed.

"No. I am Liquid Ocelot."

He put on a pair of shades similar to the kind Auron had for dramatic effect.

"So are you on our side?" Raiden asked.

"I haven't decided yet." Liquid Ocelot replied with a grin. "Right now you're nothing more than the baggage Ocelot and Liquid left behind."

"How long have you been like this?" Snake asked.

"Ocelot got rid of Liquid's arm rather gruesomely shortly after he left in Ray. He then opted for a prosthetic arm, but the damage was already done. You see, Ocelot is actually psychic. More so than Fortune could have ever hoped to be. Blame his troubled heritage. He wanted to amass Liquid's knowledge for himself, but the conflict proved too much for him to handle. I awoke inside of him the second I received this assignment from Null. What a magnificent time to be born. Fooled you, didn't I? Anyway, that's all you need to know for now."

Liquid Ocelot took off the belt that held both of his revolvers. He tossed it over to Snake. The weapons landed with a defiant thud.

"Take it. I no longer have any use for them. And now I'm afraid I must be going. You can live for now as I personally have no reason to kill any of you. Yet."

Liquid Ocelot was about to walk through the Stargate to parts unknown when he was halted by Raiden's voice.

"Did you kill Solidus?" Raiden asked.

"Of course. Not only does it get me brownie points, but he knew too much. Far too much. You'd be surprised at how many documents the allowed him to peak at just for fun. Listening to him ramble on and on about information he was never meant to see, some of it fabricated, made him look so adorable."

"You son of a bitch!" Raiden said as he pulled out his handgun.

Liquid Ocelot passed through the Stargate before Raiden could shoot him. Raiden attempted to charge after him, but Snake caught him around the neck and brought him to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Raiden demanded. "Let me go! I'll kill that bastard!"

"Not now, Jack!" Snake said. "There's no telling what's on the other end of that gate!"

The gate closed and the mechanism by which it had operated reset. They were left in the dark, completely confused. Snake brought his flashlight around again and examined the gate. There was no telling where Ocelot had gone. At least he couldn't possibly detonate the C-4 from where he was now. While Snake looked at the dialing device, the gate suddenly began operating on its own. A great explosion of water erupted from the ring that evaporated before it hit the ground. The shimmering texture of water caught within the ring appeared again. No sooner had Liquid Ocelot left than he suddenly reappeared with both hands behind his head. The expression on his face was one of pure shock. Nobody moved. It could have been a trick, but then Cloud appeared behind him armed with a taser. They eased up.

When they were clear of the gate, Cloud pressed the taser into one of Ocelot's kidneys. This ensured he wouldn't be able to escape for a few minutes and Cloud knew Ocelot was ready to bolt at any given opportunity. Ocelot didn't sullen his reputation by crying out like a little girl. Either Liquid or Revolver, the confusing entanglement of two personalities was used to electricity. Cloud took out a plasticuff gun and secured Ocelot's hands behind his back. He debated for a brief second if he wanted to cut off circulation and decided against it. Cloud tased Ocelot's other kidney instead. This time he did cry out.

He knelt down beside Ocelot and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"You don't make friends very easily, do you?" Cloud asked.

"That would complicate my job." Ocelot replied.

"Did the Patriots sell him out?" Otacon asked hopefully.

"No, but SGC did."

Snake marched over to Ocelot and forced him to sit up on his knees. The two starred at one another for a moment, locked in an exchange of penetrating gazes. Snake tried to see the Liquid or the Ocelot in this new entity, but found himself unable to. He truly was looking at a different man. However, he had killed Solidus and he looked a lot like Ocelot, which were two very good reasons to hate him. Snake considered him an enemy.

"Looks like the shoe's on the other foot." Snake said.

He immediately regretted having uttered such a horrid metaphor. Rikku. Rikku was rubbing off on him. Snake would have to do something about that.

"You had better let me go. You wouldn't want something to happen to the only people who can bring you back to Earth, would you?"

"Ocelot, you're part of an organization that wouldn't bother wasting resources on picking up your lazy ass. Maybe they'd send like one guy, but I doubt it. After all, an agent who's as experienced as you are can take care of themselves." Snake said.

"Consider this an extension on your shore leave." Cloud piped in. "Don't worry. We'll get you back to your Patriots."

Ocelot opened his mouth to talk, but Snake quickly wrapped his hands around his throat to drown out the irritating rasp.

"But before that. . ." Snake said, tightening his grip. "Oh, the things we're going to do to you."

He gritted his teeth and tried to hurt Snake with his gaze of intense hatred. Snake knew that look. Ocelot and Liquid both had it when they were angry at him. He almost sighed. It would be hard to differentiate between the three men. Snake knew this was going to give him a headache at some point.

"Starting to feel a little scared?" Snake taunted. "Good. You should be."

"Go to hell! You're not getting jack out of me. Even with sodium pentathol I won't tell you anything I don't want you to hear." Ocelot said in a prolonged garble deeper than his normal voice.

Snake clocked Ocelot across the face with a magnificent wet punch. His sunglasses went flying off of his face and clattered noisily to the ground. From that point forth Cloud knew it would be difficult to dribble a basketball on a polished wood court without remembering the noise that emitted when Snake hit Ocelot. Highly concerned, Cloud checked to make sure Ocelot wasn't dead when he slumped unconsciously to the ground. Snake began laughing at the site of Ocelot unconscious body on the floor. There he was. The mastermind behind the two most horrid missions he had ever been on. Sleeping like a baby. Bleeding a little, but still fast asleep. There that crusty old son of a bitch was. The man who probably could point him in the general direction of FoxDie's cure providing they could get it out of him. Snake was still laughing when he put on Ocelot's sunglasses. They fit his face.

"It's not you." Cloud said, referring to the shades.

"No, probably not. But I need to wear them for a few minutes." Snake replied.

"Understandable. I'd do the same thing."

The two of them hi-fived each other and shook hands heartily over Ocelot's inert body.

"You really had me worried for a second. I thought you might have still been in Midgar." Snake said.

"No. I took a trip to Earth and let SGC know what was up. They weren't too happy to hear what I had to say. This little incident is being kept off of the books."

"So you just sat there and waited for Ocelot to come through?" Snake asked.

"That I did. Had some Scotch while I was at it."

"Did you hold back on the lawn chair?"

"Of course not."

They both had a little laugh at that.

"Damn. I've never seen you so happy." Cloud said.

"That's because I contain it most of the time." Snake said. "But with a catch as grand as this, I'd be dancing around in circles with Rikku if she were here."

Cloud smiled for a brief second at that thought before wiping the expression off with his knuckles.

"You want me to leave him to you?" Cloud asked.

"If you would, please. Are you going to stay here until we're done just in case something happens?"

He nodded.

"Good. You'll have some company."

Cloud shut off the gate. The four men naturally decided to wait around for the unit Snake had requested to arrive. Snake took this opportunity to have a smoke. He took the sunglasses off ten minutes after putting them on and checked Ocelot one more time to make absolutely sure it was him. Snake got Ocelot's shirt off and looked at his arm. Sure enough, there was a very noticeable surgical scar there. The artificial limb he now wore was a slightly lighter color than the rest of his skin. A lot of trouble had probably gone into making the arm look just right. Snake examined both of Ocelot's hands. There were a few slight differences. Disgusted, Snake stopped what he was doing and wiped off his hands to get the Ocelot off of himself.

Auron took out Ultima Weapon and handed it back to Cloud.

"It worked."

"I'm sure you'd still be here if it hadn't." Cloud said.

Auron nodded in agreement. If his plan hadn't worked, Team Yuna could have found another way before Yunalesca used her magic. It was fortunate it had not come down to that. Cloud took the sword back and popped out the materia which contained Holy. Cloud called the blade forth noting that its color had become more blue without that particular jewel helping it out. He placed the materia back where it had been and gave the sword back to Auron.

"Setzer can wait until after you've killed Sin to have this back." Cloud said.

Idle conversations were then held mostly about this and that. Otacon was told more than he could have possibly ever known about his good friend Jackson. Apparently Otacon knew he was hiding some big secret. Cloud told Auron about how Ultima Weapon was discovered. It had been found locked away in a battered treasure chest hidden deep inside a cave full of lava. Apparently the circumstances and general layout of the area they discovered the weapon in were such that if it had not been for some kind of earthquake those who had found it would have never been able to do so. Otacon updated his log under the glow of the Stargate. Cloud was given a full report on Solidus' last moments when his name came up. Like the others, he too expressed genuine regret.

At that moment the calvary came rushing in lead by Rikku. Al-Bhed and enslaved Tengu soldiers alike filled the room up with assault rifles and sweat. She gave Snake a wave and another one of her winks that seemed to be just for him. Snake thought of Yuffie, Tifa, anyone else but her.

"The airship is waiting outside for us. You'll never guess who we picked up."

"Issaru and that cretin." Snake said.

"What an insightful deduction." Rikku said. "My father said something about how it'd be good to make them stay a while until this whole Sin business blows over."

"Smart man." Snake said. "Make them stay a while?"

"We're drowning them with liquor in the bar."

Rikku blinked when she noticed the unconscious figure on the floor. She trotted over to Ocelot and examined him. Upon recognized him, she gasped loudly and spun around while keeping one finger pointed at him.

"Is he that mystery man who hung out with Seymour?"

"That he is." Snake confirmed.

"What a creep!"

Rikku knelt down and looked at Ocelot's face, looking for something to defile. She found a suitable target in his handlebar mustache. Rikku brought around her claw and carefully shaved off the incorrigible growth of facial hair. Even when removed from his face it was still stiff enough to stand up on its own. Ocelot started coming around when she finished. Rikku punched him across the face and yelped in pain, biting her knuckles. She ran over to Otacon and had him examine her hand. He'd probably seen it before up close. Snake lit another cigarette. Young women. His one true weakness. Yuffie was so right.

Ocelot lingered for a moment before Raiden knocked him out cold once again with his own fist. Snake passed Raiden his M-9, which he used to shoot a dart into Ocelot's leg.

"There, that's enough for now. We've got to be careful. After all, he's a dinosaur." Snake said.

Raiden gave Snake a peculiar look and nodded briefly. Snake employed the fireman's carry to haul Ocelot's ass around. Otacon was still examining Rikku's hand for any breaks. Snake walked up to her and grabbed her hand forcefully. Just by looking he could tell that there wasn't anything wrong with it.

"You hit like a girl. That's your problem." Snake said as he shoved her arm back at her. "Come see me later tonight if you want to know how to punch like a woman. In the meantime, lead us back to the airship. This bastard is a fat ass."


	32. Chapter 31 : The Last Night

**Chapter 31: The Last Night.**

A very somber mood perforated the airship as it flew across the vast ocean. Only one thing was left to be done. The destruction of Sin. It was unanimously decided that the team rest and prepare for one full day before the final battle. Tidus and Yuna were of primary concern to those who knew what the end would bring. They stood to lose the most out of the entire group. Both of them had disappeared since boarding the ship. Wherever they were, Snake hoped Yuna would be enough to soothe most of Tidus' wounds. Snake walked into the fancy bar with Ocelot still slung over his shoulders and Rikku dancing around in front of him with a pair of handcuffs. Quite a few people were living it up tonight. Alcohol did that to sadness. The bar was full of engineers, civilians, ambient lighting, prisoners of the former Tengu unit, and the two other summoners. The prisoners who had been wounded during the fight for Yuna's rescue had healed up rather nicely, but still wore gauzes and other visible proclamations of their injuries. Cloud had gotten almost everyone back to the ship in one piece. These soldiers raised their glasses to Snake in a salute. Snake nodded respectfully.

The bartender, a slender woman with long blonde hair, mixed a full glass of cinnamon flavored Ruulr Ziela without even having to be asked and passed it down the table towards him. Rikku snatched it up and had a sip before Snake could claim it. She carried it for him while he was still busy lugging Ocelot around. Snake put a hand to his chin thoughtfully and looked around for a good spot to cage his ocelot. Snake's logic was to keep Ocelot hidden in plain sight. People went in and out of the bar like clockwork. The bartender was always there and could be easily persuaded to keep an eye on him while she worked. It would be very hard for Ocelot to escape, but Snake did not underestimate him. Snake put Ocelot down next to the last barstool and tested to see how well it was bolted to the ground. A few sharp tugs didn't even wobble the seat. He gave a signal of approval to Rikku, who cuffed both of Ocelot's hands behind the stool. Nobody said a word. The crowd could tell that there was a good reason for this. Snake took out his M-9 and two clips of extra tranquilizer ammunition and presented them to the bartender.

"If he gets rowdy, shoot him." Snake instructed.

She nodded and accepted the gun, chambering a round before she put it under the counter. Rikku gave Snake his drink and left the room. Snake eyed the two additional summoners, who appeared to be on the verge of passing out. He didn't feel like bringing any of them up to date or arguing about the plan so he found a lonely booth seat tucked away out of the lights and claimed it as his own. A waitress soon appeared and presented him with a menu. Apparently the bar had recently become a functional restaurant that offered mostly seafood at this early stage in its development. The Al-Bhed really enjoyed their alcohol and relaxation. He ordered a large plate of sushi and began drinking the infamous hooch juice. It was a welcome taste. Though he still had a few bottles of his own, he had not drank from any of them as it was more appropriate to smoke while in the field. In any case, word must have gotten out about his inclination towards this particular beverage. He hoped that this would be his only glass.

Remaining sober for the duration of the evening would probably become quite important and the only thing worse than facing Sin with a hangover would be facing a Metal Gear with a hangover. The waitress quickly returned with a plate containing a healthy variety of sushi. There was no charge for this meal. The kitchen was apparently overflowing with food at the moment. Snake dismissed the waitress and thought of how wonderful having such a blissful amount of necessities would be on Earth. This turned his attention to Ocelot, who he watched carefully. Snake couldn't decide what to do with him just yet. One thing was for certain. He held the answers to all of Snake's problems.

Dona got up from her seat. Snake took out his M1911, loaded it, and set it on the table at an angle with the barrel pointing away from him. She pretended not to notice as she left the room. He decided to keep the gun out to discourage potential visitors. Only those who truly needed to speak with him would have enough guts to get passed the silent barrier he had put in place. Snake took advantage of this time to himself. Perhaps if he were lucky he'd get fifth-teen minutes of nothing but peace. The sushi was off, but Snake wasn't picky. He didn't have a window seat so there wasn't much to look at except for a HDTV in place of a window displaying hypnotic patterns. People were starting to poke at Ocelot and laugh. Snake lit up a cigarette and had the waiter bring him a second drink. A second cigarette called for a third drink. Snake rationed the fourth drink to stave off complete drunkenness.

He was feeling pretty good if only for the hour or so it'd take him to sober up. Ocelot stirred, groaning and cursing in Russian. Snake switched seats with the guy sitting next to Ocelot as he slowly came around. Ocelot's first action upon waking up was to try and feel his face. Something was wrong with it. The usual warmth and coarseness he felt resting on his upper lip was missing. Having discovered that he was bound to a chair he licked his upper lip with his tongue and then cried out in surprise.

"Who shaved off my mustache?" Ocelot roared. "It took four seasons for that thing to grow just right!"

"Keep your voice down if you don't want to be bald." Snake muttered.

Ocelot surveyed and intelligently determined his surroundings. He then turned to face Snake, who grinned slightly and raised his glass to him.

"My friend will have some vodka." Snake said.

"You racist son of a bitch." Ocelot said. "But so long as you're offering, I will have vodka, damn it. Mix it with some Dr. Pepper or whatever caffeinated beverage they have here that has a zing to it."

"Did you get all that?" Snake asked the bartender.

She nodded and began mixing Ocelot a very proper beverage. She went heavy on the booze, already deciding that she did not like this new guest. The booze was skillfully masked by the sugary pop to a point where it would be nearly indistinguishable even though there was enough there to knock most men flat on their asses.

"And just how am I supposed to drink it?" Ocelot asked.

"Give him a crazy straw. The craziest you can find."

The bartender snickered to herself as she set the drink on the counter and placed a straw shaped like a Bomb creature into it. Ocelot held the glass with his knees and was able to easily drink from it due to the insane length of this childish straw. The other patrons laughed at him, but Ocelot couldn't care less.

"I can see what you're doing. This whole setup is so obvious. Eventually you're going to deprive me of sleep and food until I tell you everything."

"That's a safe bet Ocelot, so you enjoy that drink."

"I am not going to tell you anything." Ocelot said with his teeth clenched around the straw as he was balancing the cup with his chin.

"How's your drink?"

"It's actually quite delicious."

"Well, that's a start."

Ocelot's eye twitched and he grunted in supreme aggravation, too annoyed to form a real sentence.

"I want answers, Ocelot. Namely absolutely everything and anything you could tell me about anyone you've come into contact with."

He huffed appallingly at that request and continued to guzzle his drink, noting the distinct plastic flavor always evident in crazy straws. Snake took an epic introspective drag off of his cigarette.

"Ocelot, you will either tell me what you know or I will make life very miserable for you."

"You're a tough guy, Snake. But even you wouldn't use extreme methods to get information out of a captive. You're above that. You can spray me with a fire extinguisher all you like or even not feed me for a month. I've been through all that before. I know what torture is like. It helps to know pain in order to deal pain."

Snake was not moved by Ocelot's confidence. He was equally unimpressed by his claim of knowing what torture felt like. Ocelot had probably never poured hot cooking oil on his back or took a blowtorch to any part of his body. Torture to Ocelot was an infected hangnail or spilling coffee in his lap.

"Why won't you tell me anything, Ocelot?" Snake asked.

"Because you are not a part of any of my plans!" Ocelot replied.

He chuckled at that. Ocelot was a selfish man. Anything he had in mind would benefit nobody but himself. Snake couldn't jump to any conclusions, but he did intend to make Ocelot talk. Perhaps to begin with they could hang him up in the freezer and pour cold water on his face for a little while. When he got frostbite an equally sadistic white mage could heal him up and they would start all over again. It'd be like hell. Ocelot probably had it coming with all the bad karma he'd sewn over the years so Snake didn't feel too terribly guilty trying to figure out how to make him crack. All that would be done in good time. Snake stubbed out his cigarette and finished his drink.

"You just sit here and think about those plans for now." Snake said. "We'll talk about them later."

"Forget it. I'd sooner have you kill me right now." Ocelot said. "Do you think I'm not ready to die? We both know that's how this is going to end. Go ahead. Shoot me."

"Not right now. I don't feel like it."

With that, Snake turned his back to Ocelot and left the bar. The floor was already biting at his heels. He'd had too much to drink. Snake leaned up against the wall and rubbed his eyes, trying to get some of the drunk out. At that moment for no reason at all an inexplicable feeling of dread seized him. His skin went cold. It initially seemed like a false awakening, which was impossible because Snake wasn't sleeping. He felt his heart churn inside his chest for a brief instant and then beat hard as if pumping out something a little heavier than blood. It had about the same amount of pain as a crooked hiccup, but it made him worry. Snake's stomach tried to escape through his throat. He breathed in and out heavily, trying to convince himself that it was nothing. The heart was an organ that was always misbehaving. Hearts loved to do that on purpose to remind people that they weren't eating enough bran cereal.

"Oh, great. Not again." Otacon said from behind him.

Snake had been so distracted that he neglected to notice Otacon approaching him from behind. Snake turned around sluggishly, mashed his feet together, and tripped over himself to the right, slamming into the floor hard. Otacon offered Snake a hand, which he took.

"Where's Yuna, Otacon?" Snake demanded.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Otacon asked.

He pushed up his glasses. Otacon was always adjusting those damn fish goggles. Snake cocked his head to one side and removed Otacon's glasses from his face. He took a look at the hinges. The one on the left was bent out of shape so sharply that Snake wondered how Otacon could possibly keep his glasses on his face. Snake put them back on for him. Otacon pushed them up to fit them properly, not so much as flinching throughout the whole process.

"Go see if you can find someone who can get those tightened." Snake said.

"What about Yuna?"

"Yes, what about Yuna? Where is she?"

"I saw her heading up to the observation deck with Tidus."

There would undoubtedly be some tears tonight. Snake figured he could give them enough time to get done with whatever they had planned for the evening, but he would visit with Yuna later even if he had to wake her up. Snake spotted a glistening streak on Otacon's neck that caught his interest. He grabbed him by his ear and brought him to his knees submissively. Sadly enough, Otacon was used to this type of treatment. Drunken Snake was often an unpredictable anomaly prone to a collage of violence, mood swings, curse words, and severally impaired decisions. And yet he could still function at a third of his regular capacity if the situation called for it. He wiped the smear of shiny fluid with a gloved thumb and brought it in closer for inspection. Saliva. Snake leaned in. Otacon smelled suspiciously like Rikku and the engine room. Snake grabbed him by his shirt and hurled him into the wall. Otacon's glasses bounced off.

"Jesus Christ, you dirty pimp." Snake muttered. "Go take a fucking shower."

Snake reached into his bag and tossed Otacon one of his spare pairs that wouldn't be so prone to randomly falling off his face. He'd need that much for the impending battle. Otacon slipped his old pair into the protective case that held his second and returned it to Snake.

"It was just a kiss!" Otacon argued.

"On your neck? Where's my ultraviolet light? Take off your shirt and let's see the trail."

It took a minute, but the innuendo hit him. Otacon sighed and shook his head.

"You're not yourself right now." Otacon said.

"I'm only kidding, Hal! I just need a glass of water." Snake assured him.

A shot rang out from the bar. Snake pinned the sound to his M-9. The unmistakable sharp pop was characteristic of that gun. It was as innocent as a firecracker when loaded with a blank. Ocelot must have gotten unbearable or that was a warning shot. It took longer than Snake thought it would have. Otacon rushed inside to see what had happened. Snake trudged forward heading to his personal cabin, passing random people as he went. He was anxious to try some white magic on FoxDie in light of the hissy fit his heart just had. There were a variety of oddities that could have caused that alarming symptom, but Snake suffered from none of them. He still refused to be optimistic about this form of treatment.

Upon reaching his personal quarters, he fell face first into the bed. The sheets had just been washed and smelled like spring time. They were perfect to pass out on. He could have caught a nice nap if not for the knocking at his door. Snake ignored it. The knocks grew sharply in intensity.

"Snake, get out here!" Cid demanded. "We need you on the bridge!"

"Who doesn't?" Snake muttered.

With a grunt, Snake threw himself out of bed and joined Cid on his way back to the command center. Neither of them said anything to one another, but Cid's pace and posture were clearly readable. There was a dilemma afoot. Snake straightened himself up and tried to force coherency back into his system. It was a valiant effort awarded with a fresh heap of fatigue. The bridge was alive with activity despite the hour. They were still tweaking certain parts of the system. Two female Al-Bhed's were fiddling with the components that kept the navigational globe of Spira running. Auron was watching the device closely and he did not look happy.

"Sin isn't where it's supposed to be." Snake guessed. "And you're trying to make that globe function as a radar."

"That's right. Jecht agreed to stay in this area when he wasn't helping us along."

"How did destruction help us along?"

"It shows Tidus that he must defeat Jecht." Auron said. "I already discussed that with him while you were in the bar."

"Is he okay?"

"No."

Snake sighed and bit his bottom lip.

"Maybe Yuna can talk some sense into him."

"I just hope we've made her strong enough to deal with what's to come." Auron said.

"How are we going to get inside of Sin?"

"Jecht will let us inside if he is still in control of Sin. Do you remember the canon the Al-Bhed were working on when we first got this airship? It's not finished and it might do more damage than good if we fire it, but it's the only way we can get inside Sin. Sin will not put up a barrier to stop this if Jecht is conscious."

"I assume we'll be the first to ever set foot inside Sin?"

"That's right. Anything could happen."

Snake turned around and left the bridge.

"Where are you going?" Auron called.

"To get a glass of water. I'll be right back. Probably."

Diluting booze with water to stave off headaches, control nausea, and sober up used to only be for pussies in Snake's book, but now he was forced to add careful drinkers to the list so he could allow himself to partake in the activity. Of course, Snake knew that there was no true way to sober up. The human body dispersed alcohol at an even rate and nothing short of vomiting could hasten its departure. Snake was totally over that. Tequila and him had softened their relationship after high school. Snake was going to force this drink into a placebo capable of helping him just like Otacon did when he put rubber bands around his feet to fight off RLS. The bartender did not ask any questions when Snake requested a pint of fresh water. Ocelot had a dart sticking out of his shoulder and was sleeping soundly with his mouth open. Snake rushed out of the bar holding the sizable cup in both hands. He'd gain at least three pounds in water weight after finishing this glass off.

Yuna and Tidus were waiting for him right outside. Snake's surprise was so great that he nearly dropped his drink. Both of them looked gaunt and fully aware of what was ahead of them.

"I thought I'd find you here." Yuna said. "Auron said you knew about what's going to happen. Tidus tried to play it up as a joke, but. . ."

She stopped to gather herself so she wouldn't wind up crying in front of him again.

"We just wanted you to be the first to know that we're ready for this." Yuna said.

Snake was awe-struck by their determination, which had never been quite so fierce as this.

"Are you sure?" Snake asked. "Because honestly, I thought it would take a lot more than one evening to be fine with this sacrifice."

"I'm just glad this didn't happen at the last minute. I don't want it to be this way, but I'd rather do this than see Spira remain the way it is. Besides, we killed Yunalesca. Now we pretty much have to destroy Sin."

"It's a job that has to be done no matter what." Tidus said. "Besides, in a way I'm already dead. I never really existed. Better to die in your prime than in a bed ridden with some disease, right?"

"Not quite." Snake said. "Better to die when you're ready for your life to end."

"Well, that's what I meant. Kind of." Tidus said.

"Better to die fighting for what you believe in." Snake continued.

"I believe in Spira having a better future." Tidus said. "A better future for Yuna and all of the interesting people we've met on this journey."

"That's corny, but I see your point." Snake said. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Tidus."

Tidus sighed painfully and nodded.

"You're unique, though." Snake remarked. "Really, everyone here is unique. We're all working toward the betterment of life at the potential cost of our own. It's a shame to know that there are some civilians out there who won't appreciate the enormity of this operation. At least we can say our time has been spent meaningfully. When life ends, you want to know you've done something. You want to be able to justify yourself. None of us are going to have any problems with that."

"That's corny, but I see your point." Tidus countered with a grin.

"Forget it, kid. My English is a helluva lot more eloquent than your teenage spiel so bite me."

"I think it would have been very hard to go through this if you weren't here." Yuna said to Snake. "I don't think there isn't anyone in Team Yuna who doesn't look up to you."

"I'm hardly a role model, but if it's my outlook that inspires you, then be my guest." Snake said. "At least for the time being."

He looked away from them, stricken with doubt.

"Is something wrong?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. I need to borrow Yuna, Tidus." Snake said. "I've got a bit of a problem."

"It must be fairly serious if you want to have some white magic sprinkled on it." Tidus said.

"I'm dying, Tidus." Snake said, killing the humor. "Really fucking quickly, as a matter of fact."

Snake grinned masochistically at their shocked reactions.

"We share the same pain." Snake said to him. "Only you know when your time is up. I don't. I have no way of knowing. While I don't know when, I do know how I'm going to die."

"How?" Yuna asked.

He explained FoxDie to her in livid detail with technicolor language. After detailing most of its finer features, he launched into a retrospective account of his experience with it. Death had previously meant little to Snake, but after Shadow Moses his outlook on many things had changed. Dying prematurely of old age did not phase him. In fact, it was quite convenient that he had found out about his troubled origin as it explained many of his health related idiosyncrasies. If not for all the exercise he did while not on a mission, he'd be in pretty poor shape. It was only a matter of time before his appearance waned and took a sharp jump of about twenty years forward. Solidus had been living proof of that.

Overall, what bothered Snake was the uncertainty surrounding his eventual demise. If he could know when then he'd be able to properly plan out the time left to him. Nothing frightened him more than dying in the middle of a mission with unfinished business. The one person who could tell him how much time he had left definitively was nowhere to be found. Snake assumed he'd be blessed to see sixty if not for the malignant virus inside of him.

"Can you tell me, Yuna?" Snake asked. "Can you tell me how much time I have left?"

Yuna nodded.

"Yes." she replied. "Based on the energy your body gives off I could determine how long you have to live if I had time to adequately assess you."

"What about FoxDie?" Tidus asked.

"You've seen what wounds I've healed." Yuna reminded him. "It's all based on knowing and understanding the problem. If I can sense it, I might be able to heal it. I wouldn't rely on any of my predictions, though. To be absolutely certain, you would have to see an expert. I'd be more than happy to take you to one after all this is over."

"But we should still check right now." Snake urged. "This very instant, in fact. In this hallway if we could. Let's do this before something comes up!"

"Do you need another drink?"

"To hell with that shit. I don't need it to face up to this." Snake said.

He finished off the remaining three fourths of his pint.

"We'll need a bed. You'll have to lie down." Yuna said.

"My place or yours?" Snake asked.

"Either would do."

Snake rolled his eyes. Women.

"Fine, let's go to my room."

"I'll sit this one out." Tidus announced, throwing up his hands to signify his exclusion in this activity. "Good luck, Snake."

Yuna and Snake bolted humorously to his room, leaving Tidus standing outside of the bar on his own with his hands still in the air. They passed Wakka and Lulu, who looked at each other and shrugged. He hung a do not disturb sign on the door knob and locked it behind them.

"Do I need to take off anything?" Snake asked.

She shook her head. Snake crawled into the king sized bed he had all to himself and laid on the edge so Yuna could hover over him. She began the whole process with herself, breathing deeply and relaxing every muscle she could. When she was ready, Yuna placed both of her hands on Snake's heart. The familiar green glow illuminated the curves in her fingers. A numbing sensation accompanied the pressure she put on him. Snake knew better than to ask questions during this procedure. Yuna was at a point in concentration where disruption would ruin everything. He did not count the minutes it took for her to examine the problem. Instead, he closed his eyes and hoped for the best. Yuna didn't even flinch once. Snake felt his spirits sink when a single tear escaped her eye and fell on the hands she held against his body.

Yuna stopped the process just as simply as she had begun it by taking her hands off of him. Snake sat on the bed and waited for her prognosis with bated breath.

"At the current rate your body is. . .decaying. . .you have five years and six months to this day left."

He actually breathed a long sigh of relief, which garnered a surprised reaction from Yuna. Snake checked Raiden's watch. The twelfth of June glared up at him. Five years from 2009 was 2014. He toyed darkly with the idea of setting himself a reminder on his cellphone as soon as he got home.

"I could not sense FoxDie, but I assumed its influence on your health." Yuna said. "Your heart is truly confusing. It does not feel like a regular heart, yet it functions perfectly. There are also several impurities within your genes that will. . ."

"Cause me to age rapidly. When does that start?"

"Three years from now. If I may be bold, you should probably stop smoking."

"No thanks." Snake said.

She gave him a very animated expression of disappointment.

"Well, maybe I can cut a few out of my diet." Snake said. "But so long as I'm fighting, I'll be smoking whenever the urge hits."

"Did you start smoking before or after you joined the military?"

He smiled at her.

"After. So what can we do to keep me from dying before I hit forty two?"

"You're thirty seven?" Yuna asked. "I had no idea. I thought you were in your forties already."

Snake shrugged.

"Guess I'd better go looking for a new woman pretty soon before it's too late." Snake said bleakly. "Anyway, what is your answer to my question?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you short of healing you during an attack. It might be easier to detect it under those circumstances. So long as you're around me, I might be able to save you."

"So you can't get rid of it before that happens?"

She shook her head sadly.

"But there could be someone who can." Yuna offered helpfully.  
"Yeah, that's the third time I've heard that and I'm still skeptical."

She seized his shoulder with one of her hands, an odd move for her as she was rarely physical with anyone.

"I swear that I will find a way to heal you." Yuna declared. "There are those who say that Spira holds many secrets and I wouldn't doubt that you'd agree. At the very least I will save you from FoxDie."

"I'm not your father." Snake said, taking her hand away. "Don't think you owe me anything. It's already enough to know when I'm going to go."

Before she could respond, an alarm blared in the hallway. Snake opened the door, expecting to be met with the smoke from a fire.

"Yuna, Guardians, report to the bridge immediately! Move!" Cid roared through the intercom system.

Snake could barely swallow the lump in his throat. He ran for the bridge with Yuna following closely behind. Rikku and Otacon quickly joined them, stepping out of another room. Kimahri bolted out of the bar with a piña colada in one hand and a bag of jerky in the other. The whole team assembled at the bridge. Auron was naturally there already and had his eyes intensely focused on the globe in front of him. The base on which it stood was still open. Snake spotted a large black spot on the map slowly moving across Spira's mainland. He turned and made sure everyone was present before he spoke.

"Sin is heading toward Bevelle." Auron said. "We're moving in. Now. Without Jecht's help, a head on assault will be completely impossible. This could be our only chance to easily approach Sin."


	33. Chapter 32 : Sin

**Chapter 32 : Sin.**

Within fifth-teen minutes, Team Yuna was loaded up on java and chomping at the bit to whup Sin's sorry ass straight into oblivion. Their fated confrontation was drawing near as the airship raced towards Sin's location. The monster left quite a big smear on the globe. Perhaps seeing it up close would reveal more of a colossal being than they originally thought. Snake had all of his weapons lined up and ready as did Raiden and Otacon. The other Guardians were appropriately equipped with their own weapons of choice. For additional luck, Snake put on his red bandanna. Doing so eliminated any fear of the unknown challenges ahead of them. After they made sure that they were as prepared as they could be they headed down to the entry and exit chamber in the bowels of the airship. The aerial vehicle could produce a wide field of energy that lowered the gravity of a given area, making it possible to safely descend from one hundred feet in the air to the ground below. It could also lift objects in the same manner and was quite convenient when docking or finding a really long ladder wasn't an option.

The room contained a lot of machinery, a few technologically inclined Al-Bhed's, and a transparent floor that gave those using the device a better idea of the descent that awaited them. A full window was also in the room, which allowed those inside to see what was ahead of them. There on the horizon, Sin was but a dot as they neared it at full speed. Team Yuna waited eagerly. They all stood with an erect posture, completely focused on the task at hand. After ten minutes had passed and nothing had happened, they eased up. Thinking that easing up would result in an unexpected surprise, they went back to being overly primed. It was just nerves. Raiden eventually took to examining the land beneath them through the spectacularly narrow view the floor gave him. His example was followed since watching Sin get closer was boring. Rikku's radio buzzed. She took it out and switched it on, cranking the volume all the way up so that everyone could hear it.

"We're just about there." Cid announced. "It looks like he's about thirty minutes from Bevelle, which is where he's definitely heading. If you can't finish this job in thirty minutes or less, then we're all in big trouble. In order to allow you to get in, we're going to attempt to knock a hole in its back. Stand by."

Everyone could tell when the main cannon was given power because the ship rocked, dipped, and fell forward. All the electricity shut off, causing a small panic to ripple through the crew. The shock this gave to the system was temporary and everything soon began functioning properly again.

"Is that thing even safe?" Raiden asked.

He looked expectantly at Otacon, who shunned the attention. Otacon had evaluated the canon shortly after coming aboard. It might has well have been rigged up to ten generators and plugged into the wrong socket with how it was currently designed. If given more time it would be quite a weapon, but at this point it was far from anything but a liability. As they came upon Sin, they realized that they had greatly underestimated its true size. The thing was far more gigantic than any verb could specify. Its skin was hardened to the point of being an iron shell and a sickly gray in color. The tail dragged behind it, leaving a visible trail in the soil. Sin seemed to move painfully forward, hunched low to the ground it crawled across. The head resembled a whale and was covered with many eyes which were not focusing on what it was doing.

It paid them no regard as the airship lined up to attack on its other side. They slowly came to a halt once properly aligned. Even from the room they were in they could hear the cannon emerging from the ships belly and aiming itself. The canon began charging itself to deal out a massive attack. They heard the sound building consistently with the amount of energy being fed to the canon. The airships inner workings began failing again and the ship wobbled. Cid adjusted to compensate for this as best he could.

"Brace yourselves!" Cid said over the PA system.

A huge beam of raw red energy erupted from the canon, knocking the airship back with its force.

"Stay on target!" Rikku urged with her fists clutched together in anticipation.

The airship swung back into position just in time to hit Sin below its shoulder. A mountain of flesh flew off of it, revealing a boneless shadowed interior. It made the most horrendous noise any of them had ever heard. Sin didn't miss a beat and continued onward despite the chunk of its body that would poison around fifty carnivorous Fiends and cause the soil it rotted over to become permanently infertile. The beam continued sawing into Sin until it finally dissipated. There didn't seem to be an exit wound. Predictably, every alarm on the airship went off at once. The two Al-Bhed's at the control panel began shouting at each other nervously as the vessel shook with uncontrollable spasms. Rikku's complexion paled considerably as she automatically interpreted what was being said. Snake and Kimahri laughed at her fear, both of them keen on exactly what had happened.

"It's broken, isn't it?" Snake asked.

"What?" Rikku countered, scared into confusion.

"Our way into Sin is broken, right?" Snake restated.

Rikku ignored them and took command of the controls to see if there was anything she could do. Snake performed a legendary face palm and sighed heavily.

"Well, at least Jecht still has some degree of control." Snake muttered.

"The engine is shot! We're going to have to land soon and recover or the ship will explode!" Cid yelled over the radio. "We can get you close enough to do the drop, but after that I'll have to do a crash landing. Get ready, you've only got one shot unless you want to climb that damn thing!"

The command center Rikku had been finagling with suddenly flared to life again, much to her surprise. By the way she backed away from it they could all determine that she really hadn't fixed anything. It had fixed itself. Nobody trusted this device anymore. Rikku punched in a few things and the floor opened. A great rush of wind poured in from outside and a straight drop down awaited the first taker.

"Jump! Jump now!" Rikku screamed as she leaped over the controls and dove headfirst out of the airship.

She fell fast, but she didn't plummet from the sky or pick up any speed while descending. Everything looked like it was in order. Raiden cursed up a storm to sway his nerves as he made himself the next man out. Snake purposefully tripped him so he went flying over the edge hurling vicious obscenities towards Snake.

"I want my damn watch back when all of this is over!" Raiden demanded before his voice faded.

Tidus and Yuna went over next, hand in hand. So far, everyone was still descending into Sin's wound at an acceptable rate. They were going a little faster than Rikku, but their kneecaps wouldn't rocket into their lungs when they landed. Wakka and Lulu jumped out of the airship in the same manner, hand in hand, as if by doing so it would magically decrease their speed if the elevator broke and hurled them into a free fall. Kimahri and Auron both looked absently at their hands for a moment before shrugging and joining together. Once they made the leap of faith, Snake and Otacon were all that was left.

The condition of the airship was getting worse and there was no room for hesitation. Snake had silently elected to remain behind and ensure that everyone took the dive before he did. The ship wobbled and shook as he peered over the edge, watching the other members of his team fall steadily into the black hole in Sin's body. There should have been a grotesque interior awaiting them. Thinking little of it, Snake turned back to Otacon, who was shaking visibly.

"After you, Hal." Snake said. "How about you do that thing you've always wanted to do? It might make the jump less stressful."

He nodded and positioned himself with his back toward the opening. Hal took off his glasses and held on to them with his right hand. He closed his eyes and shifted his body to the right just enough to allow for physics to take over. The Al-Bhed's couldn't figure out why he was doing a trust fall. Snake shook his head in shame for knowing that Otacon was unabashedly imitating Major Kusanagi and thus reaffirming his love for anime.

"Nerd." Snake muttered. "That chick doesn't have anything on me."

Snake got a running start and dove headfirst out of the ship, tucked his knees to his chest, and spun around in a roll a couple of times before breaking out into a beautiful nosedive. An explosion erupted behind him. Snake didn't dare to look back and instead tried falling a little faster while he was still within the invisible gravitational field. He could not as his descent was at a fixed speed. The airship veered audibly to the right and Snake suddenly felt himself dropping out of the sky like a brick just as he entered into Sin's mysterious hole lacking any visible innards. Before he could panic a disorienting sensation took over him. His vision was blacked out. He felt his body being adjusted to stand up straight with his hands at his sides. Once he assumed this position, his eyes opened and he was suddenly in a very large room alongside the other members of Team Yuna. Snake immediately became dizzy and fell over on his ass.

"What just happened?" Snake demanded.

"We're inside of Sin." Auron said.

Raiden helped Snake up. They were inexplicably inside of a completely enclosed room made up of obsidian bricks. The only lighting they were allowed came from two large floating fires suspended in the air by nothing occupying each end of the chamber.

"Lonely place." Rikku said.

"There's a bad aura in here." Lulu warned.

An eerie glow reflected off of the bricks carved from polished obsidian as the floating lights reflected off of them made the place more foreboding. A single door stood before them with insets for every sphere each temple represented. They had all been filled, but the door wouldn't budge. It became apparent that they were in yet another Cloister of Trials. The team began quietly investigating the room for clues. Rikku had her hands all over the glossy stones in hopes of coming across a switch. A taut feeling swept over all of them and if not for their solidarity it would have surely wormed its way into the weakest member of the team. The magic in this room was evil or at the very least highly offensive. By simply looking into the reflective stones they saw themselves normally, distorted, or horribly mutilated. Rikku was eventually unable to continue and took a breather by the door.

A tight feeling began building in Snake's chest. He needed to get out of this room. Nobody else seemed to be doing any better. They were told to expect the unexpected in Sin, but Snake didn't think that such aura's capable of manipulating feelings into a sheer panic would be present here. Obviously, it was meant to keep people out if they ever discovered a way inside of Sin. With such an overwhelming atmosphere, it was admirable that Jecht had held on for as long as he had. The room was in the shape of a square with no obvious exit except for the peculiar door in front of them. Snake tried not to look too closely at the stones, but accidentally found himself hypnotized by one at his feet. He saw himself older than Solidus. Snake knelt down closer for a further inspection, tracing his own face and noting that it still felt young, which was perhaps the only thing that kept him from freaking out.

The door opened audibly. Before them was a path made up of the same type of stones they were currently standing on. It lead to a large circle where an older gentlemen, presumably Jecht, was sitting cross legged by himself in meditation. They were still boxed in on all sides by the walls of this odd structure. The bad mojo dissipated slightly. Upon their approach, Jecht snapped to attention and grinned. He looked nothing like Tidus. To begin with, he did not wear a shirt. Tidus had always seemed rather fond of clothing. Jecth's pants were ridiculous and he had a red sash around his waist. His skin tone was darker than his sons and he had a happy abundance of rugged facial hair. The man looked weak. He clearly was not in good health and did not bother to stand to meet his visitors.

Tidus was understandably shocked and at a loss for words. He had finally been reunited with his estranged father. Emotion was imminent.

"Well, here we all are." Jecht said. "I'll be damned. You pulled it off, Auron."

Auron said nothing and didn't even bother nodding his head in response. He was greatly pained by what he knew lay ahead.

"Some shit deal this is, right guys?" Jecht asked the group.

"Where's Yu Yevon?" Tidus asked.

"I'm afraid you'll have to kill me to get to him." Jecht said.

"There's no way around that?" Tidus asked neutrally.

Jecht huffed in surprise.

"Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth."

"Don't misunderstand me. I hate you." Tidus said after a moment. "I've always hated you. But at the same time I've come to respect you."

"Then I guess you're ready to do this dirty deed."

Tidus looked down at his sword.

"Not entirely."

"Well, you'd better be. I'm about to become a part of Sin itself and then I won't be your dear old dad anymore. You're going to have to kill me and Yu Yevon in order to get out of here. If you can't bring yourself to do this, get out of this room and let your friends handle it."

"I can do this!" Tidus yelled. "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

"Geez." Jecht said, rolling his eyes. "What, is that all? Surely it can't be. Let it all out while there's still time."

"That's all it ever was. You were a horrible father. I never knew how mom could even stand you. She was just one of those people who had a lot of love to give. You hardly took any advantage of that. No wonder she died young."

Jecht gasped in surprise.

"Mom's dead?" he asked. "When? How?"

"She died a year after you disappeared. I'm not sure how. One day she just wouldn't wake up. I always thought she died of loneliness."

"I'm sorry, Tidus. I truly am. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is what it is. I didn't choose to come to Spira, but it's a good thing I did. Nobody else could have kept this beast under control. You think this is easy? Hell no."

"This isn't easy either." Tidus insisted. "I always hated you, but I never once thought of killing you!"

"I wasn't trying to toot my horn and I know you never once thought of going that far, but you have to and I'm not upset about it. Like I said, this is a real shitty deal." Jecht said. "Tidus, I couldn't be a decent father. I'm too much of a dick head. I found myself inadvertently raising you to keep challenging yourself again and again by being very critical of your every move. I don't know why."

"I just brought out the worst in you."

"Yeah, you did. You were a selfish brat. Your mother and I couldn't leave you alone for one minute or you'd come crying to us. You were too dependent on us for everything."

Tidus sighed. They could see that he was crying, but he managed to keep his voice stable.

"I know." Tidus said in a small voice.

"That scared the shit out of me. I didn't want you to grow up relying too heavily on other people or being weak. I didn't want you to be that loser who couldn't talk to women or wouldn't ever step outside of his comfort zone. I wanted you to be a better man than me. I think that's why I raised you the way I did."

"I understand that now." Tidus said. "Maybe what you did was for the best after all."

"No. No, it wasn't. There's many other things I could have done, but it still worked out in the end. Irony is a bitch, ain't she?"

Jecht stood up with substantial effort. It took him a moment to balance himself on his own two feet.

"Tidus, you're my son. Despite all that's happened, that fact will never change and you didn't turn out too bad. You dress like a flake, but I can forgive that."

Tidus smiled slightly.

"I don't want you to dwell too heavily on any of that because it won't serve you well when I have to fight you. Trust me, I will kill you if you hesitate. I'm not going to be myself. I'm going to be a complete puppet of Yu Yevon. It probably wasn't smart for me to say everything I have, but I got nervous. I wanted you to know in case we wouldn't be able to talk to each other in the Farplane."

"It's okay, dad."

Tidus extended his hand, which Jecht took and shook strongly.

"Everybody dies." Jecht said. "What matters is how you think you've spent your time. I think we both have done some truly great things with the time we've been given. I'm proud of you."

"I'm not afraid. I want to see mom again."

"Me too. Who taught you how to use a sword?" Jecht asked, genuinely interested.

"Him." Tidus said, pointing to Auron.

"That bastard." Jecht muttered with a slight smile. "Well, let's put an end to the dream. I'll see you on the other side, Tidus."

"Don't wait up for me." Tidus said.

Jecht abruptly doubled over in pain and made an effort to stifle his screams.

"This is a little bit more extreme than what I expected. You might not want to watch this." Jecht said. "I have a feeling it's going to be somewhat horrific."

Tidus hesitated for a moment before gathering up his courage and charging his father with his sword held high. An unseen force threw him back into the group before he could put his father out of his misery. Jecht sprouted brilliant blood red wings. Everyone but Tidus, who was sufficiently nauseous at that point, tilted their heads in collective bewilderment. Ject then began to grow in size, his flesh falling away to reveal muscled limbs covered in sharp scales. At that point his screams of agony, which he played down as best he could, went away as the beast within him took control. Jecht's transformation kept much of his original appearance but magnified it in a highly grotesque way. By the time it was finished, they were looking at a highly demonic being. Everything Snake had ever read about Satanism seemed to be the embodiment of this foe. Weird symbolic tattoo's at compromising locations, red skin, horns, claws, teeth, a tail, and a goatee covering a face mutilated beyond recognition. They were the usual warning signs for religious people when they bought music for their children.

The creature, who now towered over them at the same height Bahamut did, threw back its body and let lose a roar of hatred. Tidus looked like he was about ready to pass out. Snake could not pin the genus of this monster. It could have been a gargoyle, a dragon, a dragon gargoyle, or a human hybrid of some sort since it still technically had a minimal amount of human features in some spots that it would otherwise have not have had, such as actual feet with five toes instead of clawed bird-like appendages with which to walk upon. The room around them magically enlarged, placing them inside of an arena still made up of obsidian with a block of sapphire about fifty yards to the left just to confuse them. An incredibly beautiful clouded sky appeared above them.

"Wow. He's a beast. Let us call him Dark Jecht." Rikku said.

"Good idea." Tidus said wearily.

"If only we had some rockets." Raiden lamented.

"Did you know about this?" Lulu asked Auron.

"No. As I said before, nobody has ever been inside of Sin."

"So you didn't know Jecht would turn into that thing?" Otacon asked, gesturing towards it.

"I assumed he'd morph into a monster. I figured that would have been easy enough for anyone to discern."

"Don't despair quite yet. I have us covered." Yuna said.

She launched into a plethora of protective magic, showering them with a rainbow of assorted stat boosters and shields, more than had ever been used in any of their previous fights. Dark Jecht roared and a unit made up of a bunch of skeletons with ordinary swords and iron shields rose from the ground and stood in front of them. They let lose a collective dry hiss before twenty of them were taken down in rapid succession by Snake, Otacon, and Raiden in a glorious display of continuous head shots. Fragments of skulls flew everywhere. The remainder covered themselves with their iron shields and charged. Their legs weren't quite as easy to hit.

Team Yuna braced itself for the clash, which was incredibly easy to manage. The skeletons were quite old and even the act of swinging their weapons was enough to cause a bone to break in some of them. Kimahri took to tearing their heads off and bashing other skulls in with the skulls he currently had a hold of while laughing joyously. Rikku tore a shield from one of them and threw it like a discus through ten all lined up in a retarded row. Seeing that they did not have strength in numbers or any strength at all, the skeletons stopped spawning and ran towards Dark Jecht for protection, who leveled them all with one great flap of his mighty wings. Its next move was to summon zombies, which was not much of an improvement. Each zombie was clothed and no two zombies were in the same stage of decay. Since they were rotting, this eliminated the possibility of them being Rage zombies. With that worry gone, their speed was a primary concern. Luckily, most of them walked with a slight limp.

Snake took out his shotgun and prepared himself for a true once in a lifetime experience. With a hand shaking in immense anticipation, he checked off "kill a zombie" from his list of things to do before he died. He then leveled his enemies with glorious twelve gauge action. Lulu lit several of them up in fire and the gun-toting members of the team assured that most of the undead were deader by the time they broke past the front line and confronted those wielding swords. Dark Jecht clawed at its mangled face in frustration and caused all the zombies to decay into ash. It then roared again, this time more urgently. A collection of tiny blue penguins walking on legs shaped like stilts appeared. Their eyes held blank expressions. Tiny little bat wings incapable of flight were attached to their backs. Each wore a simple brown satchel around their belly. They reached into their satchels and pulled out two rather sharp looking swords. Like the other lemmings Dark Jecht seemed to command, they too charged blindly ahead.

"How exactly are we supposed to kill Dark Jecht?" Tidus asked.

"The same way we kill everything else. Shoot it or cut it until it dies." Raiden replied.

Tidus sighed in exasperation. One eager penguin creature got a little too close to Snake, who instinctively punted it as hard as he could. Upon landing, the thing exploded, which caused all of the other creatures around it to explode. A chain reaction ensued. Team Yuna made a temporary retreat as the penguins blew up behind them. In less than thirty seconds the entire room had been cleared of enemies once again except for one lone penguin that had managed to escape the chain. Snake cracked it across the head with his rifle, tore off its satchel, and picked it up by its useless wings. It cried out in protest with a high pitched squeal and tried to break free of Snake's grip, but found itself unable to overpower him.

"This bastard isn't going to do anything but summon useless critters." Snake commented. "Let's take the fight to him before he brings it to us."

"He's right. Auron, give me Ultima Weapon."

Auron gave Tidus the sword he had requested.

"Okay." Tidus said, examining the hilt. "Let's go, Snake!"

The two of them ran for Dark Jecht with the rest of the team trailing closely behind. With a defiant laugh the angry red giant summoned two large balls of fire that it hurled directly at them.

"Snake!" Tidus screamed.

"Run harder!" Snake urged.

Though the fire hit them, it did little damage aside from giving both of them two excellent tans that were immediately noticeable. The rest of Team Yuna experienced similar results as Yuna's magic held back the full impact of the fireballs. Snake hurled the penguin at Jecht's face. He tried to catch it with his hand, but it exploded on impact, leaving a nasty wound behind. Snake took out two stun grenades and tossed them into the air. They managed to blind Dark Jecht, which gave them more time to do their initial attack. Snake lead Tidus behind one of his feet and pointed at his Achilles tendon.

"Cut that!" Snake ordered, pointing at it.

His feet immediately burned with empathy. Tidus called forth his determination, which made Ultima Weapon spring to life. A blade the size of a dagger shot out. It didn't seem to want to get any bigger.

"Do you really want to do this?" Snake asked doubtfully.

"Yes!" Tidus said. "I don't know what's wrong with it! Maybe if I shake it a little."

He gave the weapon a good jiggle. Ultima Weapon immediately grew to the same size it had been when Auron had used it.

"That's better!" Snake said. "The materia must have been loose, or something."

Tidus swung the blade in an arc and cut through Dark Jecht's flesh. Little beads of Holy lingered inside the wound. They crawled further into it, but did not seem to harm him. There was no immediate debilitating death scene this time.

"I didn't think it would be that easy." Tidus said.

"Holy doesn't work?" Rikku exclaimed.

"Lulu, provide an explanation and a hypothesis." Snake demanded.

"He's a part of Sin. If Holy will work at all, there will have to be a lot of it in him."

Dark Jecht recovered from his temporary blindness and saw the little nuisances at his feet. He stepped back a few paces and put his hands together. A dark ball of pure black energy began charging between them. Currents of electricity flowed through all of his muscles. If allowed to be completed, this attack would probably be a culmination of all his strength judging by the effort he was putting into it. While they were always quick to give Yuna credit for her magic, this attack did not look like it could be shielded. Dark Jecht's difficulty curve was noticeably steep.

"Well, there goes that!" Tidus lamented.

"Looks like he's not playing around anymore." Wakka observed.

"Suggestions?" Rikku asked.

"Plan B. Summon Bahamut!" Snake shouted. "Votes for?"

"Aye!" everyone shouted.

Yuna summoned Bahamut, hoping that it would be able to protect them. Bahamut came flying in from above as he always had before since it was yet another archaic inhabitant of the mysterious heavens. It landed hard to emphasize its presence and remain stylish, shattering the stones around it. The dragon was just about the same size as Dark Jecht. Upon seeing he had an opponent of similar aptitude, Dark Jecht was forced to stop charging his energy ball. Bahamut marched right up to him and gave Dark Jecht the most epic bitch slap any of them had ever seen. The impact of the hit was so powerful that it made their teeth itch. Bahamut then followed it up by backhanding Jecht across the face while it was stumbling backwards. These blows which could not be characterized as punches must have been Bahamut's own way of demeaning Dark Jecht as if to silently convey the fact that he was the most macho giant of them all. Bahamut saved an all out punch for Dark Jecht's next misstep, which had been furthered fueled with his frustration at the Aeon.

The two giants grappled. Although a little more thin and somewhat shorter, Bahamut seemed to possess more strength. It easily got Dark Jecht into a suplex, which elicited cheers from the crowd. Bahamut forced him on his knees and wrapped its hands around his neck. This move was a little early as Dark Jecht's strength was still strong. He struggled furiously, trying to break free of the hold. Bahamut kept him locked in. Always a gutsy gambler, Bahamut preferred the quick kill when it saw a window of opportunity for one. With a twist, Dark Jecht slumped weakly to the ground with its head bent at an odd angle. Bahamut kept a close eye on the body, unwilling to accept that the fight was over. Team Yuna waited eagerly for a resolution. Pyreflies started leaking out of Dark Jecht's skin, but at the same time he shrank. He sprang back to life on his hands and knees and proceeded to mutate into a second form. In muted confusion, Team Yuna watched as Dark Jecht's skin became darker until the point where it was black. His muscles refined themselves and expanded. More tattoos and bizzare marking appeared.

"Wonderful." Lulu said sarcastically.

"Check it out! We hurt him!" Raiden declared.

"How can you tell?" Yuna was quick to ask.

"He turned a darker color." Raiden said.

"What are you talking about?" Rikku asked. "We just made it a lot angrier."

"Yes, but the color of his skin has changed. We must be getting somewhere."

"So you're saying this is just like an 8-Bit video game?" Otacon asked, finally catching on to Raiden's vague hints.

"Indeed. Now he'll be faster, stronger, and harder to kill for a little bit. But we'll get him. Maybe."

Otacon stared at Raiden for a moment.

"Who exactly are you?" Otacon finally asked. "Do you even know?"

"You two can talk about that later." Snake said.

When Dark Jecht finally stood up again, he was only eight feet tall. Bahamut loomed imposingly over him. Snake could clearly see what was going on here. Since they had handed Dark Jecht's ass to him he had now molded himself to better adjust to their attacks. The pyreflies that had come shooting out of him must have meant that they had hurt him, but not quite enough to kill him. That actually gave credit to Raiden's theory. Dark Jecht, who now looked slightly more human, extended his arm and clutched his hand, wrapping it around a dark dual blade that began forming at his palm. It lacked a hilt and seemed no more special than any other sharpened piece of iron. Just wielding it should have inflicted pain on the user, but Dark Jecht didn't seem to mind that minor problem.

Bahamut had Snake's mentality when it came to tiny annoying things near its feet. It punted Dark Jecht as hard as it could with such power and accuracy that it would have scored three points from the fifty yard line under extremely adverse wind conditions. Dark Jecht took control at the apex of the arc, using his wings to recover and propel himself straight toward Bahamut with his weapon primed for an attack. Bahamut slapped Dark Jecht out of the sky like an annoying fly, flinging him uselessly to the ground. It then began charging a beam at its mouth obviously intent on finishing this minor annoyance. Dark Jecht stood to his feet unscathed. He switched tactics and decided to attack Bahamut from the ground. It reacted by trying to step on him. Dark Jecht threw his weapon like a spear into Bahamut's foot. Bahamut howled in pain as the blade drew itself into the wound. Its skin began cracking like a damaged sheet of glass. This break quickly crept its way up its body. Bahamut fell over on its rear and tried to stop itself from shattering, but this only seemed to hasten the process. Bahamut exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. It would clearly be out of commission for a while.

Dark Jecht then turned his sights on Yuna. Everyone quickly bunched up in front of her with Tidus at the lead, Ultima Weapon still active.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand." Snake said. "Tidus, you're our ace in the hole. Ultima Weapon is the strongest weapon we've got right now. Let's go with what Lulu thinks will kill him."

"Should I summon another Aeon?" Yuna asked.

"Save it for a distraction if we need one." Snake replied. "Otacon, Raiden, and myself will protect Yuna. I want everyone else to blitz Dark Jecht. Tidus, get in a hit whenever you can." Snake instructed.

Dark Jecht made himself a new sword in the same way he had brought forth the old one out of nothing. Kimahri stepped in and ran his spear through Dark Jecht's heart. Without missing a beat, Dark Jecht grabbed the spear and snapped it in half. Tidus intercepted the fight and exchanged blades with Dark Jecht while he pulled the other half of the spear out of himself. There was blood, but there was no indication of pain or progress. Rikku charged Dark Jecht with her claw ready. He didn't even bother trying to block her. All of his focus was on Tidus. She hit him across the back and left a nasty gash. Nothing happened. He had an immunity to necrotizing fasciitis. Furious, she leaped on his back and began clawing at his chest. This unexpected pounce left him open enough for one slice on the opposite end of his torso that Rikku was severally agitating. Holy sunk in, but the dosage wasn't high enough to kill him yet.

He grabbed Rikku by her free arm and threw her into Tidus. Wakka launched his ball at him, which he caught without having to look in the direction it was coming. He hurled it right back at Wakka, who was quickly debilitated by an extremely painful blow to the gut. The ball deflated with an incredibly hilarious squeal that was totally out of place. Lulu was up next while Tidus recovered. She launched a plethora of powerful elemental spells against Jecht, all of which hit but still did not inflict any noticeable damage. He sat through the fire, broke through the ice, and deflected the electricity back into her with an extra kick that knocked her out immediately. Tidus struck again while his focus was in the magic. Dark Jecht dodged, but not quickly enough to avoid having his arm cut. Auron joined the fight at this opening. He swung his blade skillfully, but Dark Jecht caught the sword in his hand as it came at an angle that would have deprived him of his head. Auron blinked in disbelief. Dark Jecht then reached in and stole Auron's booze bottle. While still holding the blade steady, he took a long drink. Auron was completely shocked.

Dark Jecht gave Auron a cheerful boot to the chest. Auron let go of his sword and fell to the ground in substantial agony. Dark Jecht shattered his sword. Rikku came in for another attack, but Dark Jecht grabbed her by the arm she was using and held her up high and vulnerable for a second. He then got her into the same choke hold Snake had placed her in. Dark Jecht undid her claw and held it up against her belly. He obviously intended to gut her. Tidus couldn't strike with Rikku in the way. Dark Jecht was using her as a human shield. Snake reacted immediately by switching his rifle to a one round burst and aiming it directly at the pair. Rikku saw where this was going and began struggling energetically. Even with all of his strength, Dark Jecht still found Rikku to be a handful. His head was apart from hers for a fraction of a second when Snake fired the bullet, knocking him back. Rikku ran to Snake and quickly gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before trying to retrieve her claw. Snake grabbed her and pulled her back to them.

"After that, you're on the last line of defense with the rest of us." Snake explained.

"Yes, sir." Rikku replied meekly.

Tidus struck again while Dark Jecht was open, landing another blow. The bullet wound to the head did nothing and Holy was still taking its time to work if it would work at all. Tidus' next swing was blocked. Dark Jecht deflected the blade hard, knocking Tidus off balance. With one well placed strike he gutted Tidus. Yuna gasped in horror. Tidus dropped his weapon and held his belly, which was inches away from evisceration. He held back a scream of agony to avoid upsetting the team. Those still in action could do little but watch without weapons of their own as Dark Jecht picked up Ultima Weapon. The blade dissipated at his touch and refused to come out. He held on to it while he approached Tidus, his own weapon at the ready.

"Great. Yuna, heal Tidus. I'll distract Jecht."

"But you don't have a weapon." Yuna protested.

"Do it anyway. Rikku, get ready to take back Ultima Weapon."

He tossed his rifle aside and handed his bag to Raiden. Snake whistled shrilly to catch Dark Jecht's attention, not bothering to call him by name. Dark Jecht froze and slowly turned around as Snake approached him. He saw that he was not carrying a weapon and decided to oblige his interest in having a fistfight. Either he intended to give Snake a fair fight or he simply wanted to test how far he could push Snake before beating him to death. He still kept the hilt of Ultima Weapon grasped in one of his hands. The first punch he threw was incredibly sloppy. Snake would have easily been able to break the arm of anyone else who struck first in a similar fashion. Dark Jecht's arm would not snap and Snake couldn't get him to drop the sword. There would be no compound fracture for Snake's delight. The bone felt as solid as iron. Dark Jecht shook Snake's greedy paws off of his arm and caught him right under the chin with a solid punch. Snake dodged another strike and followed it up with three of his own, a shin kick, and another kick that would have popped Dark Jecht's kneecap out if not for how solid his bones seemed to be. He promised himself that upon surviving all of this he'd carry around a set of brass knuckles for future petty squabbles with monsters. Dark Jecht kept swinging, incapable of really being better than Snake at this sort of thing without cheating.

Snake chanced a glance at Yuna, who was busy healing Tidus. Dark Jecht clocked Snake really good for not paying attention. He followed it up with a flurry of punches and a blow to the abdomen. Sensing that his luck was over and that Dark Jecht would now begin upping the ante and very likely Chuck Norris him into a wall, he became fully defensive. Thoroughly pissed, Dark Jecht formed himself a new sword. These demi-humans had such an annoying habit of being cheap when they couldn't win. Before he had a chance to end Snake's life, he was tackled by Raiden. Kimahri stepped in and pinned down the hand Dark Jecht held his sword in while Raiden wailed on Dark Jecht's face with the butt of his rifle.

Rikku snatched Ultima Weapon just as Dark Jecht threw both of the men off of himself. After that display, Snake expected him to jump right back up. But he didn't. Instead, Dark Jecht began coughing violently. He rolled over on his stomach and lifted himself on his knees, still coughing and clutching at his throat with both hands. Tidus met Rikku halfway partially healed and retrieved the weapon. Dark Jecht sicked up what looked exactly like a bunch of little Holy beads mixed in with his own blood. He then began to go into convulsions. His chest tore open and a large cube shot out, covered in Holy. Snake's mouth was agape at how positively surreal this scene struck him as being. The other members of Team Yuna were also similarly shocked. Lulu, Wakka, and Auron reappeared, injured and slightly miffed that they had been passed up for medical attention. Still, they had arrived at an opportune time. A symbol graced the rather ornate heavily decorated cube crafted out of several different precious stones.

"Yu Yevon!" Lulu said.

"What?" Snake shouted. "A fucking cube?"

"Unbelievable." Yuna added. "We came all this way and our final battle is with a cube?"

"Yevon's spirit is inside of it." Auron said. "But yes, essentially it is nothing more than a geometrical shape."

"It's like a cremation urn, or something." Otacon added.

Holy dripped off of it grotesquely. They could see it trying to get in, but the cube must have been tightly sealed. Additionally, the surface was not made of flesh. Holy could obviously never be used to scour sinks or remove algae from the bottom of a boat. It had absolutely no effect on Yu Yevon's spirit container. Dark Jecht, on the other hand, was dying very painfully quite slowly. Nobody paid any attention to him as they were far too fixated on the culprit behind Spira's misery. After freeing itself from Holy's parasitic clutches, Yu Yevon turned the other way and began running.

"Wow." was all Lulu could say about its cowardice.

"Oh, no you don't, buddy!" Snake said. "Grab that son of a bitch!"

Yu Yevon was not particularly fast and was easily caught and forced down by Snake. Rikku, Wakka, and Lulu piled on to keep it on the ground. The symbol flared as if to convey aggravation, but nobody cared.

"What should we do with it?" Lulu asked.

"Can it open?" Snake asked, trying to find a lid.

"Doesn't look like it." Rikku said while working her fingers across its surface.

The cube lunged forward, taking everyone who had a hold on it for a brief ride before they forced it back down again. All four of them landed painfully with a loud thud. Yu Yevon wiggled forward, trying to get away from their fingers. The symbol flared like a possessed Lite-Brite, truly conveying that a conscious being had to have been inside of it.

"Somebody hit it!" Snake said.

Yuna approached the entanglement.

"Move your fingers!" Yuna urged.

"Just hit the damn thing!" Snake ordered frantically as his grip continued slipping.

She hauled off and cracked it with her staff at its head where no fingers were. Yu Yevon dipped slightly, more than enough for them to regain their hold on it.

"Snake, this thing isn't going to open." Lulu said calmly as he continued to pry at each of its angles. "Even if you use your teeth."

"You're right. Kimahri! Come here and hold this thing for me!"

"You're not going to blow it up, are you?" Lulu asked.

"I'm going to try to." Snake said. "If you can think of anything better, then please offer a suggestion."

Kimahri switched places with Snake, who dove into his bag and pulled out a whole brick of C4. He set the explosive up to make as big of a bang as possible and then stuck it to the side of Yu Yevon. Lulu rolled her eyes in disapproval, but held her tongue.

"Let it go." Snake said.

Yu Yevon took off like a bullet with the C4 strapped to its back. Snake retrieved his remote detonator and waited for Yu Yevon to get far enough away from them.

"Stupid asshole." Snake muttered.

The explosion engulfed Yu Yevon and left a pretty orange cloud of fire and smoke in the air for a brief moment. To capitalize on the fireworks the symbol of Yu Yevon rose above the chemical reaction with a lonely wail and evaporated into the air. Rikku barely dodged the former home of the spirit as it came hurling back towards them. It bumped against the ground before grinding to a halt. Snake and an equally curious Rikku raced quickly to retrieve it. The cube had a slight dent in its side that had damaged an edge to the point where it crinkled upward, leaving a hole in its wake. They had effectively given the cube a lid. It seemed that by doing so they had defeated Yu Yevon. Snake tossed the cube in the air and was about to catch it victoriously when Auron snatched it from him. Everyone except for Tidus and Yuna came to see the remnants of the one thing that had demanded so much from them.

"I am in complete disbelief." Lulu finally said. "Snake, I will never ever question anything you do again. If I do, feel free to slap me."

"Yu Yevon was a joke." Kimahri said. "Figures."

"Agreed. After all we went through to get here, you think that it would have at least made us break a sweat. I guess it spent so much time protecting itself from magic and swords that it didn't for one moment consider upgrading its armor to withstand an explosion." Auron thought out loud.

"A character flaw." Otacon concluded. "Everything has a weak point."

"Hate to break this up, but I think we should be getting out of here, ya?" Wakka said. "We can look at that thing later."

"Not to worry." Auron said. "We have plenty of time."

Auron gave Yu Yevon's shell back to Snake, who took it before Rikku could intercept.

"Hey, I want that." she begged predictably.

"I'll send you pics." Snake said. "If you're good, I might even let you hold it when we get out of here. Where's our two lovebirds?"

"Over there." Wakka said, pointing. "It don't look good."

Yuna and Tidus were standing over Dark Jecht, who appeared to be still alive. She was adding the finishing touches to his wound while he watched his father with Ultima Weapon active. Dark Jecht, too weak to stand on his own, grabbed Tidus by his leg. The grip was strong and full of malicious intent. There was no trace of his father still within the beast, least of all within the cold eyes that resonated nothing but the urge to kill. Tidus kicked the grip off and watched as Dark Jecht again grabbed at his leg, trying to hurt it in some way but failing due to his current condition. With a heavy sigh, Tidus rammed Ultima Weapon into his skull. Without Yu Yevon to fall back on, Holy made quick work of Dark Jecht. Tidus and Yuna were unable to watch and rejoined the group while Dark Jecht was broken down into dust.

Despite having just saved the world and Spira's future, there was no eagerness to begin celebrating. With the two inhabitants of Sin dead, a portal abruptly opened up just as Jecht said it would have. On the other side they could see the observation deck of the airship. Lulu inspected it for a moment and determined it was safe. They entered into the opening. The area around them warped and twisted and totally got all Mode 7 before they found themselves standing on the observation deck of the airship. Cid must have managed to get it off of the ground again. They were circling Sin, who had suddenly frozen the moment Yu Yevon had been defeated. Snake could see Bevelle in the distance, less than five miles from their current position. The Aeons they had acquired suddenly appeared all around them in a circle. Even Bahamut and the annoying shock horse they had never used were present.

Auron turned to Yuna.

"Now comes the hard part." Auron said to Yuna.

"I'm ready." she said weakly.

"As you know, Sin was made possible by the souls of Zanarkand. You will need to send them by sending Sin." Auron instructed.

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes, it is. And you can do it. The Aeons will need to be sent as well, lest they all eventually devolve into Fiends."

He took a step closer to her.

"You will also need to send me." Auron said. "I think that's the right place to start."

Her tears finally appeared.

"Okay." was all she could say and she chuckled at it.

Auron stepped away from the group and awaited his end. Yuna gripped her staff and sighed heavily enough to exhale her spirit. With more discipline than Snake thought he had himself, Yuna launched into a sending. Snake saluted Auron. The others did the same.

"You will be missed, Auron." Snake said.

"Kimahri never forget Auron." Kimahri said.

"None of us will." Lulu added, her eyeshadow clearly running.

"I've enjoyed my time with all of you." Auron said as his body became faint. "Don't weep too bitterly for me. Death is merely birth into a new form of existence."

"We'll see you when we get there." Rikku said.

He smiled at her usual cheerfulness before his body was in the final state of the sending. Only his pyreflies made up his form, still held together so that he would be able to have the last word.

"Hopefully not too soon, Rikku." Auron replied.

The pyreflies broke apart and headed towards the Farplane. Yuna paused briefly before beginning a new dance. The Aeons around them grew transparent immediately, revealing actual people within their bodies, who also became fainter. Snake gasped at the body of Bahamut, which held a person he recognized. The kid with the hoodie he had met at the beginning of the journey looked right back at him and gave Snake a thumbs-up with a subtle nod. Once they were sent, Yuna moved to the front of the observation deck and began sending Sin. This took a longer than a regular sending and ended in a veritable explosion of pyreflies. The force of the blast should have knocked them off of the airship, but it merely blew at their clothing like the wind. Brilliant colors of hundreds upon thousands of pyreflies glistened all around them as if they had been placed inside a nebula. Snake took that back. It was even more stunning than that.

Yuna froze, completely captivated. Nothing moved for a full minute. The doors to the observation deck opened. Cid came running out to get a better view of what had just happened and spotted his daughter. With a sigh of relief, he ran to her and gave her a very touching hug. Other members of the crew followed. Not a word was said. Everyone found themselves greatly humbled by the amount of pyreflies all around them. Yuna finally resumed her dance. The pyreflies began to move. Since there were so many, it would be quite some time before the sky was cleared. Yuna completed her dance and continued enjoying the view. Tidus looked at his own body and saw that it had become faint. All of his fears were put to rest. An abrupt calm seized him. There was a slight urge to stay behind, but he knew what he had to do.

"Well, guys." Tidus said. "It's been real."

He turned to Snake.

"Really real." Tidus added.

"That it has." Snake said, nodding respectfully.

Tidus ran up to Yuna, eager to make this brief.

"I guess this is goodbye." Tidus began.

"Yeah. . ." Yuna said, not taking her eyes off of him.

"I don't want you to cry over me, either." Tidus said. "Life goes on. You've got years ahead of you and a lot of great friends."

"But I. . ." Yuna began, trailing off.

"Don't let my absence become a hindrance, Yuna." Tidus said. "I've never been with a woman as strong as you. Half of the time you were even stronger than me! I guess we could thank Snake for that, but you probably always had it in you."

She smiled, but said nothing, listening attentively.

"I don't want you to be sad. I know it's hard not to, but it's just like Auron said. I'll be happy where I'm going. I want you to be happy for me. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm trying to be selfish."

"I understand." Yuna assured him.

"Don't you ever stop being you." Tidus said. "Try to let this make you stronger."

"You sound like your father." Yuna pointed out. "But you're right."

Yuna tried to give him a hug, but the two passed through each other. Her level of shock was insurmountable.

"Oh, Jesus." Snake muttered, completely heartbroken.

The two turned to face each other once more.

"I love you." Yuna said.

"I know you do." Tidus replied.

He wrapped his arms around her as if to try and give her a hug despite his current form. Yuna did the same, trembling with grief.

"I'll always be with you." Tidus assured her.

It sounded lame, but it was really all he could say. And he meant it. With that, Tidus made a dash for the railing, which he jumped over. As the remainders of the team watched the pyreflies break away from the surrounding area, Snake could imagine Tidus being reunited with his father. The two would probably go have a beer with Auron. Time stood still. This was perhaps the most underwhelming victory Snake had ever experienced. They still weren't even completely done. For one, Spira's political structure would need to be revamped. He'd have a say on that after going through the documents Solidus had given Yuna. Hopefully he could prevent Spira's new government from deteriorating into the several he was familiar with.

Unfortunately, there was no telling how advanced Spira would become and how far its future leaders would stray from the original founding doctrine in order to fatten their wallets and brainwash the people. For now, things looked good. Never had it once been suggested that anything on Spira ran strictly on oil and Snake hoped it would stay that way. Even better, it already looked like they had an unimaginable supply of fresh water so long as they kept their population under control. If simplicity was embraced and everyone stayed together, then nothing short of a weather related global catastrophe or the impact of a gigantic planetismal could keep them apart. If the Al-Bhed were accepted once the Yevon religion was publicly debunked, Spira was all lined up for a few good centuries. But conflict was always inevitable. Peace was a matter of opinion.

Once he finished with that, it would be time for him to return to his own world for a while and see what could be fixed over there. Evidence Otacon had uncovered in the GW disc pointed toward the globalization of war. The Patriots intended to profit from this and significantly reduce the world's population at the same time if they decided to pass on creating their own epidemic all in the name of one sovereign nation governed by the rich and maintained by a handpicked selection of the middle class. Harsh restrictions would be placed on the use of natural resources except by those in charge. A world war was a prelude to their ideal and nothing more than a large game of Risk for them.

They had to be stopped. The world would be a slightly better place if it wasn't being manipulated on such a large scale. Those given power to rule were entrusted with the task of making the lives of those who elected them livable. A true politician was not someone who profited off of the people. He or she was a person who lead the people into a greater, safer tomorrow. This principle had been lost ages ago on Earth. Snake chased those thoughts away and turned his attention instead to the pyreflies as they continued to drift toward the Farplane. It was an unforgettable sight and reminded everyone that Spira finally had a future. Those who had defeated Sin were in a position to protect it and they would do whatever they could to ensure that duty was carried out with the utmost care.


	34. Chapter 33 : Epilogue

**Chapter 33: Epilogue – The Passing of an Age and the Dawn of Another.**

It had gone better than anyone could have hoped for. In a lengthy seminar held in the blitzball stadium surrounded by more people than Snake had ever seen gathered in one place at one time, Yuna carefully recounted every single step she had taken on her journey to Sin. The stadium was so full that some people had to stand outside in the halls. Others freely sat in the laps of those who already had seats. People from every town in Spira had come to see this, many of them dropping what they were doing and making a mad rush to Bevelle once news of Sin's demise came to them. For the first time, Al-Bhed stood freely amongst the rest of Spira for this grand occasion. Yuna's summary of events eventually branched out into the treachery she had seen within the Yevon religion and how it had suppressed the people of Spira into being mindlessly obedient. She also spoke at length of how it had affected her personally. Yuna's true self had only come out when she let go of the teachings.

Among many other things, she gave her personal account of Seymour's true intentions, Yunalesca's mindset, and how flawed she felt the political structure had been in general given all of her experience with it. The only detail left out concerned the Stargates. Snake didn't think letting the public know about them was a good idea quite yet. He wanted that gate to be clear when he used it. At the very least, they had expected to incur a riot of some kind for making such scandalous accusations against the religion. However, the events of Yuna's wedding had caused many questions to arise that had already been in mind prior to that dramatic incident, most of them centering around Seymour. Support from the Ronso's who were there during the Metal Gear attack boosted their case. A closer inspection of the religion with Yuna practically leading the people by hand caused many to realize how badly they had been tricked.

Additionally, much had transpired to show that Sin was indeed quite dead. For one, the Aeons in each Fayth chamber had turned to stone. The entangled bodies outside of the Zanarkand ruins also mutated into granite. There was no longer any need for summoners as nothing came around once the miniaturized rituals were completed. Most of them wouldn't be completely out of job as many studied a second separate division of magic. As if that wasn't enough of an indication, Sin had apparently never been sent in the past. Once the Final Summoning took place, it returned to the sea controlled by whoever had been unlucky enough to become it to lie in wait for ten years. Spectators typically described it as an ominous spectacle, a blatant warning and an incredibly depressing harsh reminder of the curse they were seemingly stuck in. Word had it that Guadosalam had been filled with so many pyreflies that nobody was able to go outside for an entire day. All of these factors combined to ensure that Yuna wasn't arrested on the spot for treason. Even if they hadn't believed her, she had still killed Sin and that alone was enough to get her off the hook for just about anything.

There was a group of disgruntled priests that cried bloody murder and tried to knock Yuna out of the balcony she was lecturing on, but the rest of Team Yuna and a multitude of angry citizens assured that they were stopped short of getting to her once their objective was made clear by the liberal use of the word heretic. Even Seymour's Maester buddies didn't get very far before they were beaten to a pulp. The mages they took with them received similar treatment. Yuna's speech had been given four days after Sin was defeated. Yuna had taken great care in preparing it and added in several subtle suggestions toward how Spira should be governed in the future based on what she found in the documents Solidus had entrusted her with. This was a group affair with everyone contributing something to the mix by the time it was all finished. The proposals were received quite well.

Yuna's popularity had skyrocketed her status to that of a savior. She could have easily ruled Spira with a lilac scented fist as some would have preferred, but she was more interested in ushering in and overseeing an age of reform rather than taking it all on by herself. Team Yuna had effectively become the founding fathers and mothers of the new Spira. Yuna noted that their idea's were still rough, but in a month or so they would be refined enough to establish a new government based on the interests of the people and not a fabricated religion rooted in fatalism. She finished her speech with a section dedicated to all of her friends and the sacrifices they had made. It was a real tear jerker, especially the bits concerning those who had died. Especially Tidus.

During that particular part, Raiden had leaned in closer to Snake as they all stood together behind Yuna.

"We're the Patriots." he said brightly, as if the realization had just come to him. "Can you believe this?"

"Let's just be sure we do it right." Snake had replied.

Once the speech was finished, a worldwide celebration began. They missed out on the first week of it as they rushed Snake to a secluded island where only the most elite practitioners of magic were allowed to further their craft. Admittance to the island was usually subjected to a thorough review of the purpose of the visit that usually resulted in a firm denial. Yuna was welcomed to stay for as long as she needed immediately upon their arrival. Five white mages examined Snake for two full days while he helped Yuna work out a constitution. The mages came to the exact same conclusion Yuna had, which said a lot about her competence with that particular area of magic since she had never been a student at this place of study. Without Snake actually going into an attack, there was nothing anybody could do for him. Healing him during the attack would be tricky. The symptoms could be alleviated, but it would happen again if they could not manage to fix it completely.

After a small review, they determined Yuna was capable of providing such treatment. That went for the other white mages as well and they weren't about to send him home empty handed. During an intensive healing session that lasted nine hours, they rejuvenated Snake's major internal organs, set his back in order, removed the damage to his mouth that smoking for so many years had caused, and lessened some of his deeper wrinkles. They ensured that he'd be as healthy as possible when the attack inevitably came, which would increase his chances of surviving it. However, at the same time they noted his advanced aging ensured that the work each mage had done would wear out within a year. He'd have to come back later just in case. Meanwhile, the rest of Spira was in an overwhelmingly positive mood. Drinks were shared, food was laid out in abundance, races mingled freely, and fireworks graced the sky. For a few days, Spira was a utopia, which defied logic.

Life eventually went back to normal with several changes. Fifth-teen people were hand picked from a sea of potential candidates eager to oversee politics in Spira under all the rules and regulations Yuna had made. These men and women could be replaced at any time if they violated any of the rules. Twisting the rules in order to manipulate them for personal agendas was made extremely difficult since after nearly a month of doing nothing but thinking as hard as he could about what was wrong with Earth and how it could be changed, Snake was absolutely certain he'd covered everything. They spent three days with the group of fifth-teen people as they went over everything, asked questions, and proposed further additions before everything was set in stone and some adjustments were made to the daily lives of the citizens of Spira. Upon wrapping everything up, Team Yuna returned to Besaid Island in Cid's airship.

They were given a hero's welcome. Snake had been through this process before and he never felt comfortable during it. At least they weren't taking pictures or passing out any medals. Instead, they showed their appreciation for their freedom by throwing a huge homecoming party. An intimidating buffet stocked with all manner of seafood awaited hungry stomachs. The bar lined with great alcohol broke those who did not usually drink. A variety of games provided merriment. Requisite fireworks burned Otacon's hand. It was all very pleasant when Snake warmed up to it and drew the differences between coming home to government officials and returning to those who were truly grateful for his services. Snake could feel appreciation each time he took a bite from the exquisitely prepared crabs and lobsters. Apparently Besaid had begun setting everything up the moment they learned Sin had been defeated, but they didn't want to start celebrating until Yuna finally came home.

Yuna switched out of her summoners robes for a different outfit that was more her style. Snake thought it showed off a little too much belly for her, but his mind was eventually elsewhere as he poured his third drink for the night. Ocelot had managed to escape from the airship during all of the technical malfunctions it had. Some idiot with good intentions let him loose during the crash so his arm wouldn't get torn off. Cid wouldn't say who because he was sure Snake would tear their arm off. Since the Stargate was currently guarded by Cloud, Ocelot would not be able to use it to return to Earth. However, that didn't mean he was stuck in this galaxy since there were many other ways he could leave. After all, the Predators had come over for a brief visit. There was no telling who else had scouted Spira even before it was habitable by humans. In the greater scheme of things, Ocelot's disappearance was more of an inconvenience than anything else when stacked up against everything that could have gone wrong. By the fourth drink, Snake no longer cared. He'd get Ocelot again at some point and then chain him to a board upside down after throwing him into a vault only he knew the combination for.

He then remembered how shocked Dona was when they had revealed everything to her and couldn't help but grin stupidly. Isaaru was humbled enough to bow to Yuna on his hands and knees. The two summoners parted ways with the team shortly after the speech was finished. Both of them had looked a little lost. Snake wasn't surprised. He hoped Isaaru would find something else to devote his life to and couldn't care less what Dona decided to do with all the time left to her. Done with thinking since he was no longer capable of coherency, Snake spent the rest of the party making jokes at other people's expense, trying to play games, and worrying everyone when he collapsed after becoming far too drunk to move.

When the party was over, Yuna requested that Snake stay for at least two more week before he left for Earth. Seeing as how he really deserved a vacation, he accepted the offer. Following up the Big Shell incident with the adventure on Spira had been exhausting. It was time to take a brief rest. Everyone agreed. He contacted Cloud and said he'd be a little late. Cloud understood completely. In the meantime, Cloud decided to retrieve the Predator's nukes from the place he had hid them and find a safe place to dispose of them. Cid docked the airship in the water and resumed repairs while the other Al-Bhed's hustled and bustled around inside like an anthill. It remained on standby until Snake was ready to go back to Zanarkand. The Al-Bhed would then return to Bikanel Island and begin rebuilding Home.

Raiden spent his break relaxing at any given opportunity, usually on the beach all by himself for hours and hours. Otacon focused heavily on Rikku and tried to not make it seem like he was leaving for an undetermined amount of time. Yuna was interested in learning as much from Snake as she could. Fourteen days was hardly enough time to impart all of his knowledge onto her, but it did make him squeeze the best bits out. He resumed his self defense crash course with her, teaching her the basics and trying to bump her up to an intermediate level since she learned so fast. Snake could tell that this was how she chose to deal with her grief. She never spoke of Tidus and latched on to Snake fully in the absence of him and Auron. Snake allowed it, assuming it was only temporary.

Eventually the time Yuna had requested was up. Yuna and her companions decided to tag along with Snake and see him off as he left through the gate. This gave them even more time to spend with the people they had come to respect so thoroughly. The trip into Zanarkand would apparently only take a day or two due to how fast the airship could travel. Snake felt a bit bitter about it when he considered how long it had taken them to get there on foot. The morning of their departure everyone gathered by the docks. Rikku signaled the airship and it lifted off and prepared to receive them at the end of the dock they had congregated on. They'd be ascending into the airship since setting up a ramp took too much time. Before he forgot to do so, Snake undid the watch he had stolen from Raiden and gave it back to him.

"Full circle?" Raiden asked as he put it back on.

"Just about." Snake replied.

With that, Snake walked to the end of the dock accompanied by his two partners and began floating up into the airship. Team Yuna followed. The villagers they had socialized with during the party waved at them as they left. Snake focused on the landscape in front of him as this would be the last he would see of Besaid for a long while. In that moment, all of Spira's natural beauty hit Snake. He knew that he would never be able to feel such unique emotions about anything again so he did his best to savor it. Snake pictured everything he had seen and remembered all that he had done while on Spira probably for the hundredth time, but it felt new to him. For a few seconds, he no longer had any worries. The sky, ocean, and land captivated him and now he was truly sad to leave, but it had to be done. The numbing sensation left as quickly as it had come. With a heavy sigh, he entered into the airship.

Their journey to Zanarkand was essentially an extension of their time at Besaid. About an hour before they reached their intended designation, everyone gathered together one last time in the bar. The members of Yuna's entourage who would be staying behind on Spira exchanged their respective goodbyes. Not a dry eye was in the house. Lulu neglected to put on makeup for the occasion, which was a good choice. Despite that, they all remained strong as expected. There wasn't much that could shake up any of them. Yuna was nowhere to be found. Snake checked everything in his bag one last time and enrusted his things to Otacon. He then went looking for Yuna and found her on the observation deck standing alone. Snake stood beside her and the two remained together in silence for a few minutes. She was crying silently again. Yuna was deeply emotional, but her personality and determination easily made up for it.

"I'll be coming back." Snake said to break the ice.

"It'd be better if you stayed here." Yuna contested. "You could die if you leave here."

"I've got some unfinished business to take care of. You know that." Snake said. "When I get done with that, I'll stop by and visit you. Maybe for a few months."

"I know. Earth needs more people like you."

"Tell me about it. The people of Earth are too busy having more children than they can handle, buying houses they can't afford, hosting barbeque's to impress their neighbors, and complaining about how much it costs to fill their SUV's. They're blind to how badly they're being tricked. Just so long as their lawn doesn't get ruined by land mines they won't give a shit about anything until it's too late to act."

"Are the leaders of Earth that dishonest?"

"I don't need to remind you of the Patriots. Remember, it's easy to lie. You just tell the other person something different. If they trust you, they'll listen."

"And that won't happen to Spira?" Yuna asked. "We made certain to give it a good future, right?"

"We sure as hell tried. Staying up for five days in a row doing nothing but analyzing how a government can become crooked should give Spira at least a hundred years of peace."

"Yeah." Yuna said absently, her mind drifting away from the conversation.

"You feel lost, don't you?" Snake asked.

Yuna nodded.

"I spent all my life preparing to defeat Sin and I've finally done it. I don't know what I should do now. I wouldn't even be alive now if not for what everyone has done for me. I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought I was."

"Don't doubt yourself. If you keep that up, you're going to drive yourself into the ground. What you're feeling now is nothing new and it's completely normal, but don't let it devour you."

"What should I do, Snake?"

"You should do what you want to do." Snake said. "You've done enough for the world. It's time for you to live your life. I know you spent a lot of time doing nothing but learning that bullshit religion, but if you were a complete vegetable there's no way you could have done what you've done."

"Can I come with you?" she asked.

"No. The rules of engagement are different on Earth. There's no Aeons to summon for protection. I suppose I could equate that to calling in an air strike, but those aren't always on standby nor would they be anywhere nearly as effective. Besides, you're still too green. I don't want you fighting alongside me in my environment. Here, you're fine, but on Earth it would be a different story. You don't need to know where I come from. If I can help it, you'll never see Earth. It could be dying, anyway."

"I suppose you're right." Yuna consented. "I'm going to really miss you."

"Same here." Snake said.

Yuna retrieved the USP Snake had given her from her bag.

"Do you want this back?" she asked, offering the gun to him.

"Keep it. It's yours." Snake said.

"Something to remember you by?"

"If you want."

Snake sighed and bit his bottom lip as he prepared to try and get to the root of her misery. Hopefully she was only mired in self doubt, which she could easily get over by herself.

"I know I shouldn't bring this up, but if I don't I'll worry about it later. Do you need to talk about Tidus?" Snake asked. "I'll help if I can."

Yuna smiled.

"He said he'll always be with me and I can always visit him in the Farplane. When I missed my father, doing that made me feel a lot better."

"So you're fine?" Snake asked.

She nodded.

"This is the last time we'll get to talk for quite a while." Snake reminded her.

"I know. I wanted our last conversation to be a little different, but I guess it won't be. Don't worry. I'll be alright. If not, Lulu and Wakka will still be here."

"That's good."

"Thank you so much for staying the whole week."

"No problem." Snake said. "It was my pleasure. You've really got yourself a good village carved out back in Besaid."

"I know. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else." Yuna admitted. "Thank you so much for everything, Snake. I'd hate to think what all of this would have been like without you."

She moved in and hugged him. Yuna held him in her embrace for a while.

"I'm glad I could help." Snake finally said as it was the only thing he could think of.

"I guess this is goodbye." Yuna said.

"Not yet. You still have to see me off."

"You're right, I do."

"Let's get to it, then. It's almost time."

Yuna let him go. Snake began walking away. Yuna joined him. He wanted to stay with her a little longer and make sure she could start her own life properly, but he really needed to get back home. Snake couldn't allow himself to spend the rest of his days on Spira. If he did, he'd be running away from the problems only he could fix. Back in the bar, tears had turned into soft smiles and a little laughter. Everyone had come to terms with the impending separation. Snake approved. It was good to leave on such a positive note. When they saw Snake and Yuna, they knew the end had come. The airship stopped right alongside the stadium and proceeded to bomb the area to clear it of Fiends by launching a laser pulse into the ground.

Apparently the airship also functioned as a gunship, which was disturbing. It was still fun to watch the little bastards run for cover on the thermal imaging screen only to be rooted out with the bombs and cut down by heavy machine gun fire. A team of Tengu's descended with them for optimal protection. The group they still had left decided to stick with the Al-Bhed for now as they had nowhere else to go and refused to work for anyone else due to the depth of betrayal they had incurred from the priests.

Cloud was waiting for Snake in the room that housed the Stargate. Without having to ask, he opened the gate for Snake. Staring into his trip out of there got Snake thinking of Spira one last time. Somehow all he had experienced made him feel prepared for the future. In time, his battle against Metal Gears, the Patriots, and Ocelot would come to an end. That would amount to his life's work considering how far back everything went. He felt assured that the results would somehow be in his favor. Many dangers were waiting for him when he got home, but he knew he'd get through them. He always did. That was what made him a good soldier more than anything else because it kept him alive. Once he finished his fight, he would permanently retire and spend the remainder of his years in peace far from the battlefield.

Snake faced the Stargate and sighed heavily while Team Yuna watched.

"Come back soon!" Rikku said.

"We'll keep an eye on Bevelle while you're gone." Lulu assured Snake.

"Spira will still be good when Snake return." Kimahri said.

"Be careful out there." Wakka urged.

"We'll be waiting for you." Yuna said.

"We know." Snake assured them. "Thanks, everyone. I'll never again be a part of a team nearly as great as this one. Give Tidus and Solidus my regards when you go visit them in the Farplane."

"We will." Yuna said, a single tear escaping from her eye as she smiled.

"Goodbye."

"Don't say that!" Yuna interjected quickly. "It's too final."

"Good point. In that case, I'll see you later."

Yuna smiled grandly.

"That's better." she said.

And with that, Solid Snake stepped through the gate ahead of everyone else and back into the world he knew two galaxies away.

**T****he End.**

**See you next mission.**


End file.
